


The Wild Adventures of Katsuki Grocers

by downbyashes



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: A/B/O Not the Focus, Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anxiety, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Omega Yuri Plisetsky, Other Additional Relationships to Be Added, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other additional characters to be added, Panic Attacks, Shenanigans, Work Stories, grocery store au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2020-03-05 13:46:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18829894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/downbyashes/pseuds/downbyashes
Summary: Katsuki Grocers is a nice, family run grocery store with a friendly staff that goes above and beyond to help their customers with all their grocery shopping needs. If only every day was that simple.Behind the scenes, all hell breaks loose. And everyone hopes thatthatcustomer goes through the other till… and nope, they’re going through mine. Great.***Includes A/B/O Dynamics, but is not the main focus of the story***





	1. Moving Up in the World

**Author's Note:**

> …so I like piling more projects on top of myself! Oh well!
> 
> Yes, this will be a multi chap fic. Yes, I do work as a cashier (among other things) as my source of income, and yes, most if not all of thes actually happened to me, or another coworker. Some pretty crazy stuff happens when you work with the public. These are going to just be some of the craziest stories I’ve come across, and I’m not necessarily going to follow a definite plot line, but I’ll find some way to wrap it up eventually. I’m hoping to update this one more often, because the chapters are going to be shorter, and they’re stories I know well. 
> 
> Also, everyone will show up at some point eventually, and they’ll be added to the list along with relationships, when I figure those out, and likely more tags will be added down the road too. 
> 
> Also, can you guess what company I work for? It’ll probably be pretty obvious if you know what to look for.

“Hey, Yura, do you mind coming to the office for a moment before you go?” Victor asked over the phone at Yuuri’s till. 

 

Yuri had been so close. He had three minutes left in his shift, and Victor wasn’t even supposed to start until Yuri got off. They maybe would have met at the punch clock, if Yuri was right on time and Victor was a bit later than his usual five minutes early. A call from the cash office requesting a longer, in person conversation was never a good thing. As far as he knew, he hadn’t snapped at any customers today, and yesterday it had only been the one idiot who had wanted to debate the prices of almost every product with him. Yuri just wasn’t dealing with that. 

 

But there was still the question of why did the old man want to talk to him?

 

Yuri put his closed sign down and flicked off his open light before continuing onto his last few customers. When he was done, he slid his mints into the pocket of his black dress pants and went around to put his chain across the lane before scooping up his water bottle and notebook, heading towards the service desk. 

 

Mari was behind the desk, sorting the recent cigarette order. She had a pack in her hands and was examining it, likely the brand she smoked, when he approached. 

 

“Yuuri call you?” she asked. 

 

So Yuuri was still there. He’d thought maybe he’d gone home early. Why had Victor been the one to call him, then? 

 

“Victor, actually,” Yuri mumbled. 

 

“Ah. Well, have fun.” She offered him a lazy smile before going back to her task, and filling the cabinets and drawers pwith cartons. 

 

Yuuri knocked on the cash office door and Victor smiled as he let the boy in. 

 

“Hey, Yuri.” Yuuri smiled, twisting his chair around to face the blond. Usually, Yuuri wore a form-fitting black button down shirt, but had recently swapped it out for a regular uniform shirt, like Yuri’s, due to the swell between his hips. “How are you doing today?”

 

“I’m fine. What about you? Is the old man taking care of you and the baby properly?” Yuri asked. 

 

Yuuri brought a hand up to his swollen baby bump, his smile softening. “I’m doing great, thanks.” 

 

“So, what did you want to talk to me about? Did a customer complain about me again? I didn’t do anything, I swear! I killed my scan time just to check prices for him!” Yuri protested before anything else could be said. 

 

Victor chuckled, his grin all straight white teeth. “Calm down, Yura, you’re not in trouble.”

 

“In fact, we have an offer for you.” Yuuri said, leaning back in his chair. “As you know, the baby is due at the end of the summer, only four months from now. And when the baby comes, I’ll be taking some time off. That means that we’ll be missing someone both here in the office, and on the desk.”

 

“Shit. You want me in here? I don’t even know what to do. I don’t even have an override or know how to use one. Do you really think I can do it? Is this really a good idea?” Yuri’s mind was racing. Of course he wanted to help Yuuri and keep things running smoothly, but this might be a bit much too fast. 

 

“Slow down there, tiger cub.” Victor chuckled, resting a hand on on the blond’s shoulder. “We both think you’re still just a little young for that.”

 

“Mari is coming back into the office on a more permanent basis,” Yuuri said. Mari did the odd office shift when she had to, but preferred the desk. “She’ll start getting more shifts coming up, and will take Victor’s place when Victor takes mine. And how would you like to move up to the service desk? You don’t need to make a decision now. We still have a few weeks before it becomes a pressing matter.”

 

“No, no, I’ll do it,” Yuri replied. “Anything to help you out.”

 

Yuuri smiled, reaching out to clasp Yuri’s hand in both of his. “Thank you, Yuri. I’ll get training set up for you within the next couple weeks so you can get used to the desk before I go. You’ll have at least one shift with me, and maybe a shift with Victor. I don’t know yet. Now, I’m off, and I really have to pee. I’m going to the bathroom, and then do you need a ride home?”

 

“You don’t have to,” Yuri mumbled. 

 

“I want to. And if you want to come over for dinner, I don’t mind either.” Yuuri slid out of his chair and got his bag together. “You know you’re welcome over at any time.”

 

“Sure. And you can help me with my homework while you’re at it,” Yuri said. 

 

“If you need help, I’ll do what I can,” Yuuri replied, looking up at Victor. “See you when you get home.”

 

Victor reached down to press a soft kiss to his husband’s lips. “See you later, love.” 

 

Yuuri reached up for another kiss before breaking away. 

 

“Bye, Yura. Have a good night, if I don’t see you again tonight. Say hi to Uncle Nikolai for me when you see him,” Victor said. 

 

“ _ Da _ , I will,” Yuri agreed, following Yuuri out of the office. 

 

“Have a good night, little brother,” Mari said, smiling at her brother. “Rest. Don’t cook one of your elaborate feasts if Yurio is going over. Take it easy.”

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. I’m a little pregnant, Mari, not dying. I’m not going to over do it. I promise.”

 

The older sister looked over to Yuri. “Make sure he paces himself. Don’t let him exhaust himself. It’s not good for him or the baby.”

 

“I won’t,” Yuri promised, earning a smile from both of the Katsuki siblings. 

 

“Alright, let’s go. Baby seems to think sleeping on my bladder is a good idea, but it’s really not,” Yuuri said, giving his belly a couple pokes while taking long, fast strides toward the break room, which was on the other side of the front end. 

 

Yuri followed after him, tossing his notebook of codes, mints, water bottle, and name tag into his locker. He tossed his school bag over his shoulder, draping his jacket over his bag before locking up his locker. 

 

Only some people got lockers, and under any other circumstance, he wouldn’t have a locker, or even a job. As much as he hated to admit it, he only had Victor to thank. Victor had convinced him to drop off his resume, and then convinced Yuuri that it would be a good idea to hire him. Victor was possibly too nice to him, but he supposed that that was what family was for. Yuri didn’t take many freebees from Victor, but the locker was greatly appreciated. It was a huge time saver, as he didn’t have to take his work stuff to school, or stop at his grandpa’s house before heading to work. 

 

“Do you need to make a stop at Nikolai’s? Or do you have a change of clothes on you?” Yuuri asked as he left the bathroom. 

 

“I have some. I’ll change at your place,” Yuri replied. “Let’s go.”

 

They headed down the stairs and were met at the door by a boy maybe two or three years older than Yuri with dark eyes and an undercut. He looked frantic, eyes skimming the store in search of  _ something _ . 

 

“Anything I can help you with?” Yuuri asked, offering his best customer service, even if he was off. His lips were turned up at the corners, his face warm, head cocked slightly to the side. Yuuri was always happy to help any customers that walked in, even if he was off or it was outside of business hours, even though he’d get noticeably agitated when people were still in the store after close. 

 

“Uh, I’m supposed to meet with Yakov Feltsman about a job. Where would I find him?” The man asked. 

 

“Just go to the service desk over there and Mari or Victor can page him over for you,” Yuuri replied. “And good luck!” Because they both knew he’d need it. Yakov’s was known to be hard on the new hires, and though it caused for a lot of turnovers, the ones that made it tended to stay for a while. 

 

“Yuri?” Yuuri said, giving Yuri’s sleeve a little tug. 

 

“Mm?” Yuri hummed back, blinking as he looked back to Yuuri. 

 

“You’re staring at that boy,” Yuuri teased, walking out the front doors of  _ Katsuki’s Grocers _ , and Yuri stumbled after him. 

 

“I was not,” Yuri mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. 

 

Yuuri grinned. “You know you were. Come on, Yuri, he was handsome! And, if my nose is correct, he’s an alpha. Wouldn’t it be amazing to find a kind, good looking alpha?”

 

Yuri rolled his eyes. Yuuri loved the idea of love, and he’d only gotten worse since becoming pregnant. He was trying to find Yuri a mate, even though the blond had only just turned eighteen. Yuri hoped that they were just pregnancy hormones, and that he’d stop once the baby was born. 

 

“Whatever, pig. What are you making for dinner?” Yuri asked, getting into the older omegas car. 

 

“Don’t know yet. We’ll see when we get home,” Yuuri replied cheerfully. 

 

Yuri knew Victor loved surprises, but he was certain that Yuuri lived his every day with at least one. 


	2. New Position, a Whole New Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of desk training, and if this is how every day is going to go, then is Yuri in for a ride!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently I can get chapters out in a couple days if I put my mind to it… please don’t hold me to it! All I can say is thank you for all the comments on the first chapter! You guys motivate me to write more faster!
> 
> Anyways, the two customers in this chapter are customers I actually had on my first day on the service desk. It was… it was a crazy day. Even the girl supervising/training me was a little speechless.

Only two weeks later, Yuri was waking up at seven am, way too early than he felt anyone should have to on a weekend. Of course, he had to wake up early so he could start his first day of service desk training. He yawned as he entered his seven digit code to punch in, and moved behind the desk. 

 

Yuuri didn’t look much more awake that Yuri felt, despite having already been there an hour longer. In fact, Yuuri looked grumpy, his arms crossed and a sort of pout on his face. If it were any other time of day, it could have been comical. 

 

“Stupid Vitya, making me give up caffeine. I know it’s bad for the baby, but it’s so good. It wakes me up, and it makes me feel human,” Yuuri mumbled before letting out a groan. 

 

“You seem like you’re in a great mood today, Katsudon,” Yuri said, only to receive a glare. 

 

“One more comment like that and I’m throwing you out on cash,” Yuuri hissed. Turns out a decaffeinated Yuuri was a scary Yuuri. 

 

Yuri decided to busy himself with opening his notebook and getting ready to take notes. He knew he’d need them for a while, and he’d rather not have to ask the same question a trillion times after Yuuri or Victor had just told him. 

 

“Sorry, Yura. I’m just really tired. I couldn’t get comfortable to sleep last night, and now, I just want to sleep,” Yuuri murmured, voice softer than before. 

 

“Let’s just get on to training. Maybe you’ll wake up a bit if we start to move around a bit,” Yuri suggested, earning a smile this time. 

 

“Alright,” Yuuri agreed. 

 

The first couple hours were fairly productive, page upon page getting filled with his cramped writing and more codes he had to remember. Yuri learned how to do refunds ( _ which were okay _ ), bottle returns ( _ which were often sticky and he hated them _ ), and how to work the lotto machine ( _ why were there so many different draws? _ ). Between transactions and note taking, Yuuri got him to look through the drawers and cupboards of cigarettes. Yuri almost couldn’t believe how many different brands and varieties of cigarettes there were. All thirty drawers were full of packs, cartons, cigars, pouches, chewing tobacco, and tubes, and the first two cabinets were stocked with even more cartons, the third one full of tubs. 

 

He watched when Yuuri helped him out, grabbing packs for customers without having to take more than a quick glance in the drawers as he drew out the right packs. Some of them didn’t even have to tell him which ones they wanted; he just knew. 

 

“You’ll get it eventually,” Yuuri promised. Yuri wasn’t so sure. 

 

“Oh, Yuuri, aren’t you just glowing!” an older woman gasped as she put her groceries up on the counter. “How are you doing? How far along are you?”

 

Yuuri’s smile turned strained as he slowly turned to face the woman, one hand subconsciously falling to his belly. “Good morning, Patrice. The baby and I both are doing well, thank you,” Yuuri replied, his thumb moving in nervous circles over his bump. “The baby’s at twenty-three weeks now. They’re getting big.” Yuuri met Yuri’s eyes and nodded to her groceries. 

 

Yuri grabbed the hand scanner, and reached for her groceries, only for her to pull them back like he’d threatened her. 

 

“No,” she said before looking back to Yuuri. “I don’t know him, Yuuri! I don’t want him to ring through my order. Can’t you do it?” She looked distressed, and Yuri could feel a similar look on his own face as he looked to the Japanese man. 

 

Were people allowed to request that? To get someone else to ring through their groceries? It never happened on a till. A customer could pick whether or not they wanted to go through a certain cashier, but of course they didn’t have a say as to who was on the desk at the time they were going through. Could he just call the office person if a customer wanted him to?

 

“Sorry, but I’m only here to train today. I’m not doing any orders,” Yuuri replied, nodding to Yuri to go ahead. 

 

Yuri started scanning her items, listening as the woman continued chatting to Yuuri, though her eyes stayed on Yuri. 

 

“Oh, Yuuri? Is Victor working today?” The woman asked, making Yuri quirk an eyebrow. 

 

“No, he’s off today. Probably spending the day with some friends, shopping, getting some things for the baby. He’s so excited for them to come,” Yuuri said, stroking his belly. 

 

“He’s such a good alpha. He treats you so well. He’s going to be such a good dad,” she cooed with a sigh. 

 

Yuuri nodded as he grabbed a carton of cigarettes from one of the upper cabinets and scanned them for Yuri. 

 

Yuri read out the total and she paid with a card, wishing them a good day before leaving the store. 

 

Yuuri breathed out a sigh of relief. “Well, congratulations. I think you just passed the Patrice test,” Yuuri said as the door to the cash office opened.

 

“Is she gone?” 

 

“Yes, Vitya. She left.” Yuuri turned and smiled at his husband, who left the office to stand behind the omega. 

 

“To be blunt, Yura, she’s crazy. She’ll call two or three times a day, just to try to chat with me. And she keeps calling back even when she’s told I’m not here.” Victor sighed. 

 

“And she’s very particular about who serves her, if you hadn’t figured that out already. When Vitya and I went to Russia last summer to visit his family, she bought a few cartons so no one could ‘tamper’ with them, as she claimed. She once tried to bring back a carton because she thought they tasted weird and she swore that Yuuko was trying to poison her.” Yuuri sighed with a shrug. “And heads up if she does call, just tell her that Victor’s not here. She’ll probably hang up on you after without saying anything else. Thought you should know,” Yuuri added, reaching up for a kiss from Victor. “Is it break time now?” 

 

“Yes it is, love,” Victor replied with a smile. 

 

“Good. Because I  _ really _ have to pee,” Yuuri said, starting to head for the break room. “Come on, Yura.”

 

Victor clapped Yuri’s shoulder and smiled at him before going to the lotto scratchers display case, starting to make mental notes of which ones needed to have more out. 

 

“Um, excuse me?” A man asked and Yuri stopped, looking at him. He was a bit grubby-looking, his clothes wearing thin and his face drawn down. “I want to be arrested.” 

 

Yuri felt his whole body freeze. He… what?

 

“Sorry, sir, what’s the problem here?” Yuuri asked, coming back to see what was going on. 

 

“I want the cops to be called so they can come and arrest me,” the man replied. 

 

“We’re just on break right now, but I’ll tell the man on the service desk to call over the manager and we can get everything figured out, okay?” Yuuri said, going over the desk where Victor was watching with concern. “Vitya, can you call my dad over? This man says he wants to be arrested. He should know what to do.”

 

Victor nodded, paging Toshiya to the desk. Yuuri turned back to the man and told him to wait there before pulling Yuri upstairs. 

 

Once in the break room Yuuri leaned against the large table in the middle of the room, massaging the lower part of his belly. He had his eyes squeezed shut as he took deep breaths before relaxing. 

 

“The fuck was that?” Yuri said, eyes wide. 

 

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Yura. People work in strange ways. People like him don’t come in often,” Yuuri replied, straightening up. “You won’t have to-“

 

“No, pig, I meant you! The fuck just happened to you? You were in pain!” Yuri could hear how raised his voice was, almost on the border of yelling. 

 

Yuuri smiled at him. “It was a Braxton Hicks contraction. A fake contraction to prepare my body for the real ones.”

 

“I thought those only happened later on,” Yuri replied. “Like, a few weeks before you have the baby.”

 

Yuuri shook his head. “Nope. They can start in the second trimester. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to piss myself.” And he ran down the hall to the bathroom.

 

Yuri took his phone and a snack out of his locker, taking a seat at the table as he started scrolling through Instagram. After maybe a minute of flicking through his feed, the door to the staff room opened, and Phichit came up the stairs, waving at Yuri when he got to the top. 

 

“Hey, Yurio. Training on the desk today?” The Thai boy asked. 

 

“ _ Da _ . Yuuri’s training me,” Yuri replied. 

 

“Where is he?” Phichit asked, unlocking his locker and throwing his wallet, keys, and phone in before pulling out a water bottle and mints out and locking it back up. 

 

“Right here, Phich,” Yuuri replied, rounding the corner. “How are you doing today?” 

 

“I mean, I’m at work, so there’s that.” Both boys laughed and wrapped their arms around each other. “What about you? How’s the baby?”

 

“We’re doing well. They're really active, especially at night. And it would be nice if I didn’t have to pee all the time, but what can you do?” Yuuri replied, grabbing a bag of chips from his locker before sitting down. “I mean, I’m having a baby, after all. I’m having Victor’s baby.” And he got lost in stroking his baby bump, his attention on his unborn child. Like how Victor would be a great dad, Yuri knew Yuuri was already an amazing mother. 

 

Their fifteen minute break was over too soon, and Phichit followed as Yuuri and Yuri went back to the desk. 

 

Yuri had to admit that it was odd to see Phichit on cash as an ordinary cashier. Phichit was another office person, and only had cashier shifts every few weeks. Usually he was scheduled for either the desk or the office. 

 

By the end of his shift, yuri felt like his head was spinning, and he was happy to let Yuuri take him home and treat him like a stray puppy. He curled up on the couch in a blanket, and accepted the tea and leftovers Yuuri gave him to eat as they watched TV. 

 

“I know it’s a lot to take in at first, but I promise that it will quickly become second nature,” Yuuri promised, letting the blond rest his head on his shoulder and lean on him. 

 

“I know. It’s just learning it all that takes forever,” Yuri mumbled, sinking deeper into his blanket. 

 

“But I know you can do it, Yura. I know you have it in you,” Yuuri insisted, squeezing Yuri tighter against his body. 

 

“T-thanks, Katsudon.” Yuri would never admit it out loud, but it gave him a boost of confidence knowing Yuuri had faith in him. He just hoped Yuuri didn’t hear his stutter or notice his blush. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And if there are any scenarios you want me to write, please comment them! I’m always happy to include other ideas!


	3. Money is Money… Isn’t It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet another difficult customer walks through the doors of Katsuki Grocers, and… hey, the new guy’s kinda cute…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay, work’s been crazy! I’m trying to get out chapters as quick as I can, but you can kinda see how that’s working for me…
> 
> I’m open to input, but I’m thinking of putting in parts going back to things like Victor’s first day, Yuuri’s first time in the cash office, and things like that. Add a few of those stories of mine, and create new ones just for this story. Please let me know whether you like it, or whether you want a single continual time line, and I can fill in blanks in additional, separate stories instead!
> 
> I also think that I’m going to do a few, including possibly the next one, in a different character’s perspective, from another department. I heard all about the antics of the grocery department, and man do I miss those days.

Yuri didn’t remember many customers that came through, but he remembered this one. It’s not that he had been previously unpleasant; in fact, he seemed to be a rather quiet person. His clothes had some dirt on them, a few stains, and a couple holes in his shirt near the bottom of his rib cage, but other than that, he seemed fairly put together. He kept a small wad of low denomination bills in one pocket, and bought the same thing almost every night; a sandwich that had been made that morning and had a sticker on it to be sold at half price, and a fifty cent can of pop. He usually paid in change or a five dollar bill, and tonight was no exception. 

 

After ringing in his two items, Yuri read his total, which was two dollars and twenty-five cents, and the man handed over a crumpled five. 

 

Yuri unfolded it, and was about to enter it in the till when he realized one of the serial numbers was ripped off. 

 

“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t accept this bill. Both numbers have to be there for me to be able to accept it, and one is missing,” Yuri explained, handing it back. 

 

“Of course you can take it. You have to. It’s money,” the man said, looking annoyed as he waved the bill a bit. 

 

“I can’t if both numbers aren’t there. Again, I’m sorry, but you’ll need to pay with a different bill.” And Yuri could see he had at least a couple more. 

 

The man started mumbling something, and Yuri could hear the words  _ rude _ and  _ stupid _ mixed in, but didn’t say anything to the blond directly. Yuri decided it was probably better to keep his mouth shut for once. He didn’t need the man getting any angrier than he already was. 

 

After paying differently, he took his items and stormed off, threatening to tell the manager. It wasn’t a good threat, not when he wasn’t scared of the front end manager, or any of his current supervisors. Especially when they were actually, and he hated to admit it, fairly close friends. 

 

The next customer looked at Yuri with eyebrows raised in shock. “Over a five dollar bill?” 

 

Yuri nodded, still a little dazed at the exchange. “Just because I couldn’t accept it.” 

 

The woman scoffed. “Some people.” 

 

Yuri nodded, continuing on. What else was there to do? 

 

It was only a couple minutes later when the man from before passed by, waving a new five dollar bill in Yuuri’s direction. “See? New bill. Now was that so fucking hard?” he hissed as he stalked out of the store. 

 

Yuuri’s current customer, who obviously hadn’t been in line during the initial incident, looked both alarmed and confused at what was happening. 

 

“I couldn’t accept his money and he didn’t take it well,” Yuri said with a sigh, starting to ring through the order. 

 

An hour later, when Yuri went for break, Yuuri climbed the stairs after him, looking down at the boy as he rested a hand on his shoulder. “I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry, Yura. That customer with the five… I really don’t know what I was thinking. Actually, I wasn’t thinking! I never should have switched it out for him. Again, I am so sorry to put you in that position.”

 

“It’s okay, Katsudon. It happens,” Yuri replied. “There are always bad customers. It’s just to be expected. Don’t worry about it.”

 

“I know. I just feel so bad.” Yuuri sighed. 

 

“Don’t. It happens, so let’s carry on. You can’t change other people, and you can't change the past.” Yuri gave a shrug. He really couldn’t blame Yuuri for the man’s rudeness and behaviour. Nothing had been Yuuri’s fault, really. And at least he apologized. 

 

Yuuri let out another sigh, seemingly of relief. “Thanks, Yura,” he murmured before heading back downstairs. 

 

Only a few minutes later, the door at the bottom of the stairs opened again, and a man came up the stairs, along with a faint trace of alpha. Yuri looked away with a blush when he realized it was the same boy that had been in a rush for an interview with Yakov the week before. 

 

“Hey,” he said, pulling his phone from his pocket as he pulled up a chair across from Yuri. He started scrolling through his phone, likely Instagram, tapping at a video so the audio play through his speakers. 

 

“What are you listening to?” Yuri asked, leaning across the table. He left his own phone abandoned face down next to him. 

 

“One of my DJ friends played a gig last night. He posted a few videos, but I can turn it off if you don’t want to listen to it,” the boy offered. 

 

“You’re friends with DJs?” Yuri could feel his eyes widen in awe. This guy was so cool.

 

The boy chuckled, the corners of his lips curling up. “You know, I DJ too sometimes,” he added. 

 

“That is bad fucking ass!” Yuri said. 

 

Another laugh escaped his lips. “Thanks.” 

 

“My name’s Yuri,” Yuri said, eyes falling to the other boy’s name tag. Suppressing a groan, he he realized that he was wearing one too. “But you can see that.”

 

Otabek broke out in a grin, and it lit up his face. “The name’s Otabek, though I’m sure you can see that.”

 

Yuri smiled, letting out a laugh of his own. “Nice to meet you, Otabek.”

 

“Likewise.” 

 

Otabek played a few more tracks for them until Yuri’s break was over, and the blond could feel a blush across his face as he returned to his till.

 

“Someone’s blushing! Does our little Yura have a crush on someone?” Mila teased, almost singing, leaning across her till to rest her chin in her hand. 

 

“Fuck off, Baba,” Yuri hissed, putting his closed sign on the plexiglass wall, and flicking his light back on. 

 

Of course he wasn’t going to admit to Mila that yes, he found Otabek attractive, sure he found the other boy interesting, and if Otabek were to ask him out for whatever reason, he probably wouldn't decline the invite. In fact, Victor probably didn’t need to know about how he potentially felt about this stranger. Not that Victor hadn’t been exceedingly forthcoming when he’d fallen head over heels for Katsudon in the span of a single training shift. Not only had his voice mails been full in half an hour, but he’d gone over to Yuri’s grandpa’s house and forced Yuri to listen to his ramblings for a solid five hours straight. He didn’t need the same thing, only with Yuri being front and center. 

 

Maybe Katsudon would be the one to talk to about Otabek. He certainly seemed like the most suitable choice. At best, he was the least likely to tease him. Yuri just hoped that the older omega wouldn’t tell the old man. If he did, Yuri would never see the end of the teasing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as for my timeline, this customer happened about a month after I started… and it was my first job. So yeah. That’s always fun. On the bright side, Yuuri apologized! My actual supervisor said nothing to me about it, and it ended up as a general cashier note in our info/notes binder saying that if both serial numbers weren’t there, we couldn’t take it. Not sure what the laws are else where, but that’s how it works in Canada! 
> 
> Thanks again for reading, have a good day, and we’ll see you next time!


	4. Boys Being Boys Doing Boy Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The grocery guys are at it again, causing trouble, probably exact opposite of what they were supposed to do, and hey, what should I do about this cute boy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. Been a while… I’ve worked so much. You have no idea. But, I think I’ve got a couple more chapters thought up, and I started a new project in the mean time, though I’m not really sharing details yet. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the crap our grocery guys used to get up to.

“Hey, Ota!” JJ called, despite being only a few steps away.

 

“JJ. Leo,” Otabek replied with a nod in both of their directions, respectively. 

 

“Hey, Otabek,” Leo said with a smile and a wave. “Looks like we’re on frozen tonight. On the bright side, that just means JJ’s the one taking all the grocery calls.” 

 

Otabek chuckled. “Sounds good to me.” 

 

“Alright, boys, let’s get to work.” JJ said, slapping them both on the shoulder as he grabbed a trolly and some stock to put out. 

 

Leo and Otabek started loading their own trolly with frozen product, taking it out to the floor. They each worked a side, the trolly between them in the middle of the aisle. 

 

While Leo pulled on a pair of thick gloves, Otabek preferred to work bare hand. Sure, his fingers ended up a bit numb, but he didn’t mind. Especially when he could sneak up on JJ later and press his cold fingers to the back of his neck. The resulting squawk was always priceless. 

 

“You ask Guang Hong out yet?” Otabek asked Leo as they started loading up the freezers, rotating stock to the front. 

 

“Not yet. I really don’t want to ruin our friendship if he doesn’t feel the same way,” Leo replied. “And I really don’t want to put Phichit in the middle of it.” 

 

“I've only known you guys for a few weeks, but it is so obvious that you both like each other. If you’re so nervous about losing your friendship, tell him up front that you value your friendship above anything else. Make sure your friendship comes first if you do start to date. That’s my advice,” Otabek offered. 

 

“Thanks, Otabek.” 

 

It was that moment a boy rounded the corner, taking in the two grocery workers. Otabek recognized him instantly, between the long blond hair and piercing green eyes that met his in an instant. 

 

“Hey, Yuri,” Leo said. “Helping out with the returns?”

 

“Yeah. The front end is beyond dead right now. I was bored and Yuuri knows I don’t do well with bored,” Yuri said, reaching into his basket and dropping a box of cereal on their trolly. “Here. I can’t find where this goes, so now it’s no longer a me problem. It’s a you problem.”

 

Otabek couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of his throat, earning him a glare from Yuri. 

 

“You couldn’t have given it to JJ? We’re working frozen. He’s doing everything else,” Leo said, sounding like he was more amused than annoyed. 

 

“JJ’s fucking annoying as fuck. As if I’m going to go looking for him,” Yuri hissed. 

 

Leo and Otabek couldn’t help the full blown laughter that followed. 

 

“Boys,” Yuri mumbled with a roll of his eyes. He turned on his heel, his hair snapping around as he left. 

 

“Speaking of boys we like,” Leo said. 

 

Otabek felt his cheeks warm as he turned back to the freezer. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

 

“Nice try. You look at Yuri the way Victor looks at Yuuri: like he’s the only thing of relevance in the room. Why don’t you ask him out? I mean, what do you have to lose?” Leo asked. 

 

“I barely know him, but he seems cool. I just want to try to be friends with him first. I was listening to a few tracks a couple of my DJ friends played last week in the break room, and Yuri liked it. He even thinks it’s cool that I DJ too,” Otabek said, smiling to himself. He had to admit that he liked that Yuri found his favourite hobby so interesting. 

 

“So get to know him better over dinner,” Leo suggested like it was the most obvious solution in the world. “How about if I ask Guang Hong out, and you ask Yuri out, and we can go on a double date!”

 

“I’m not agreeing to that deal. I’ll ask Yuri out if and when I’m ready. I don’t want to rush into anything, and I don’t want to make him feel forced into something he may not want,” Otabek replied. “I don’t even know if he would want to go out with me.” 

 

“What a gentleman,” Leo said. 

 

They continued chatting as they moved down the aisle, from frozen hashbrown patties to fries to frozen pizzas and finally TV dinners. They went into the back, Otabek grabbing his own trolly to load up as he went. 

 

“You boys done with frozen already?” JJ asked, wheeling his own empty trolly in. 

 

“Doesn’t take long when you don’t complain about the cold and actually do the work,” Otabek said, a smirk on his face as he said it. 

 

JJ nudged him in the arm, rolling his eyes. “I may be Canadian, but that doesn’t mean I’m used to the cold. Not all of Canada is permanently frozen, you know. Summer’s pretty hot across most of the country.”

 

“Where do you live then? You know, when your igloos melt,” Leo looked mockingly concerned, and Otabek had to fight to stifle his laughter. “Unless your version of hot is just below freezing.”

 

“Ha ha. Funny,” JJ replied, not sounding amused in the least. 

 

Leo grinned and Otabek couldn’t suppress his smile the way he could his laugh. “You know I try.”

 

JJ loaded up his trolly again, and took it back out. “By the way, someone needs to do dairy.”

 

Leo and Otabek looked at each other, mischief entering Leo’s eyes. Otabek was sure the same look was reflected in his own eyes. 

 

“Pallet jack race?” Leo offered. 

 

“To the cardboard compactor and back?” Otabek replied. 

 

“You're on. Loser does dairy.”

 

Otabek nodded his agreement.

 

Leo had an unfair advantage going in, as he’d worked there longer and had been able to practice the rhythm needed to propel the pallet jacks forward. Otabek had been shown how it worked, and had been practicing when he could. He was getting the rhythm, but his speed still needed work. 

 

And as such, Otabek ended up being the one to work dairy. 

 

It wasn’t too bad, and because the speakers didn’t work properly in the dairy cooler, he still didn’t have to go take the grocery calls. It was nice being able to focus on his task without having to worry about dropping what he was doing at any moment to run to the front end. 

 

Unfortunately, it meant that he wouldn’t get to see Yuri anymore tonight. The thought alone made him a little sad. He liked being around the feisty blond. He had an energy that drew Otabek in, and he didn’t want to be too far away from him. 

 

It was a strange feeling, wanting to see this near stranger, actually missing someone who wasn’t part of his family, someone he barely knew. 

 

Yuri was certainly someone he wanted to get to know better. 

 

He was snapped out of his train of thought by the door in front of him opening to the rest of the store. Opening said door, was the blond who had taken over his every waking thought. 

 

“Whatcha getting?” Otabek asked, moving his face to look at him, startling the boy. 

 

“Fuck, Otabek!” Yuri shouted, glaring at him. “I just wanted to get some chocolate milk before going home and curling up with my cat.” 

 

Otabek laughed. “If you want, I can grab you a jug of the milk we just got in. Longer expiry date,” he offered. 

 

“Sure. Whatever,” Yuri grumbled, and Otabek went to the back to find the new jugs, coming back and sending one down the shelf to Yuri. 

 

“Thanks. I may need you to get me milk from the back more often,” Yuri said, clearly trying to suppress the smile fighting its way onto his face. 

 

“Any time you need it,” Otabek replied. “Enjoy your milk and your cat.”

 

“Thanks. See you tomorrow,” Yuri replied, turning around and leaving. 

 

That exchange put a smile on Otabek’s face for the rest of the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do this chapter since one of the grocery guys from my last job came into the store I work at now, and we chatted for a few minutes about how we missed the people we used to work with. So yeah. I’ve legitimately tried pallet jack racing, but could never get it. The one guy was damn good at it.


	5. At Least it Ended Well?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri was basically set up to have a shitty night, if his day was anything to go by. Hopefully things will turn around? Yeah, not likely…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, have I had a fun few days at work! That’ll probably become a chapter soon. In the mean time, enjoy this chapter!
> 
> *Small warning for anxiety/minor panic attacks*

To be blunt, Yuuri was having an absolutely shitty day.

 

During his check up that morning for the baby, his doctor had told him that he was just a bit above his target weight, which meant, as Victor so _lovingly_ put it, “no more pork cutlet bowls for his piggy and their little piglet.” That had brought Yuuri’s mood down instantly. His doctor also told him to start taking it easy at work, and start cutting his hours. Easy, except he was the head of the front end department. He had already accepted that once he had the baby, he’d be putting in hours at home writing the schedules and continuing to run the front end.

 

Now he was at work, and Mari had miss counted that morning when loaning to the tills, so the safe was a bit short, and, obviously, she didn’t know which tray the mistake was in. Yuuri took a few deep breaths. It was okay. He could manage. It had happened before.

 

An hour into his shift, he got a call from his closer, saying that they were sick and wouldn’t be in. He could feel his anxiety mounting, and kept trying to keep his breathing under control.

 

He wound up hiding himself in the office to call Victor, putting his phone on speaker as he curled in on himself in the chair. He felt childish for breaking down in tears when he heard his husband’s voice.

 

“Yuuri, love, what’s wrong? Did something happen at the store? Is it the baby? Oh, Yuuri, she’s fine. I promise. You’re an amazing mother already. You love her so much,” Victor told him.

 

“I–I know,” Yuuri gasped out, gripping his head in his hands, fists in his hair. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel so stressed and like there’s so much pressure on me. My closer just called in sick, and Mari messed up the safe this morning. The appointment and my being over what I should be isn’t helping either.”

 

“Oh, Yuuri,” Victor murmured. “You know Phichit is there and will stay if you can’t. I’m sure he’ll even hang out for your peace of mind after he’s off. I’m going to call Yura as soon as we get off the phone, and he’ll close for you. And if not him, then I will. But I’ll drive him just so I can come see you, okay?”

 

Yuuri laughed. “You really don’t have to do that, Vitya,” he mumbled, wiping his eyes. Tears had started forming in his eyes, and he really didn’t want to cry at work… again. He hated these stupid hormones.

 

“Of course I do. My beautiful husband needs his mate. I’ll even bring you some food. Just to see your brilliant smile again,” Victor said.

 

“Just seeing you will make me smile. I really don’t need anything to eat. I’m not hungry.”

 

“Yuuri, you know you need to eat. If not for yourself, then for the baby. Your lunch is still in the fridge, and I’m not going to be there all night to make sure you eat and rest appropriately. Never mind your weight. We can start watching what we eat, and start eating better,” Victor suggested.

 

Yuuri couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He appreciated how Victor included himself in Yuuri’s problems. When Victor said _we_ , Yuuri knew that he wasn't fighting his battles alone. Victor was always right next to him no matter what. He always knew just what Yuuri needed. “Thank you, Vitya. You have no idea how grateful I am for you.”

 

“Alright. Yura and I will be there in half an hour. I love you,” Victor murmured.

 

“I love you too. Thanks again. See you soon,” Yuuri replied.

 

“See you soon, love.” And the call disconnected.

 

Yuuri took a few deep breaths, wiped his face down, and shoved his phone in his pocket as he left the office.

 

Phichit looked up from what he was doing. “Hey. You doing okay?”

 

Yuuri nodded. “I’m better now. I just talked to Vitya, and he’s calling Yura to see if he’ll come and close. And if he’s busy, then Vitya will close.”

 

“That’s awesome. And if you need me to stay, or you want to go home early, you know I’ll stay as long as you need me,” Phichit said. “And I’m not doing it for the hours.”

 

“Thank you, Phich,” Yuuri said with a chuckle, pulling his best friend in for a hug.

 

“You know I’m here for you. Always.”

 

Yuuri gave Phichit a smile when they pulled away. “I’m so glad I have you as a best friend.”

 

They stood at the service desk, sorting and organizing packages and cartons of cigarettes, and filling the lotto case until Victor arrived.

 

When he did, Yuuri almost slammed into the half door in his haste to get to up the silver haired man. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone knocked the air out of their lungs, or even cracked a rib, and Phichit would know.

 

Victor held his arms open for Yuuri, who instantly buried his nose in the crook of the alpha’s neck, breathing in the calming pheromones and relaxing instantly.

 

“Gross. I know the Katsudon is pregnant and needy, but we’re still in public. Quit scenting each other,” Yuri said, coming to stand next to them. He had his arms crossed and a grumpy, unimpressed look on his face.

 

“I think it’s cute,” Phichit said, his chin in his palms as he leaned over the desk.

 

Yuuri turned to Yuri, grabbing his hands. “Thank you so much for coming in. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

 

Yuri’s agitated demeanor instantly melted away. “Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome. You know I’ll always help you out when I can,” the boy mumbled, looking away.

 

Yuuri pulled the younger omega in for a hug. “Thank you.”

 

“Ready to eat?” Victor asked, a hand resting between Yuuri’s shoulders as he held up a paper bag from a local fast food chain.

 

Yuuri nodded, looking to Phichit. “Call me if you need anything.”

 

“Of course! I know the drill,” Phichit replied, giving Yuuri a thumbs up.

 

“Thanks again, Phich,” Yuuri said.

 

He turned, taking Victor’s hand as they headed up to the break room. He touched his belly as they got to the top of the stairs. How much longer would he be able to do the stairs? He had sometimes been out of breath before he’d been pregnant, but now he was panting.

 

“Yuuri? Are you okay?” Victor asked. “Is she moving?”

 

Yuuri shook his head. “She was earlier, but not now.”

 

Victor pressed a kiss to his husband’s forehead. “Come eat, love.”

 

They chatted as they ate their greasy fast food, Yuuri feeling surprisingly better after.

 

“Thank you, Vitya. You have no idea how much I needed this,” Yuuri murmured, nestled into his alpha’s side.

 

“You know I’m always here for you, no matter what,” Victor replied.

 

After a kiss, Yuuri stood as he stretched his arms above his head. “Well, I guess I should get back.”

 

Victor wrapped his arms around Yuuri’s waist, his hands not so accidentally grabbing the omega’s ass and pulling him close so the alpha’s face was against his mate’s swollen belly. “Let your mama work, little one. He has a very important job to do.” Victor peppered Yuuri’s belly with kisses as his thumbs stroked his hips. “I’m so excited to meet and hold her in my arms, Yuuri. It feels like it’s just around the corner, but forever away at the same time.”

 

Yuuri slid his fingers through his alpha’s hair. “Me too. I hope she looks like you. Your silver hair and dazzling eyes.”

 

“I hope she looks like you. Your dark hair and doe eyes,” Victor replied.

 

“Well, I know she’ll be beautiful no matter what,” Yuuri murmured, earning Victor’s classic heart shaped smile.

 

“She will,” Victor agreed, cheek resting on the omega’s belly.

 

When they got downstairs, they kissed at the store’s front door before Victor had to leave and Yuuri went back to the service desk.

 

“Yuuri, how do you find a man like yours?” Phichit sighed.

 

“You just have to wait. What happened to Seung-gil? I thought you guys were going out,” Yuuri said, eyebrows pulling down as he leaned his hip against the desk.

 

“We were, but it didn’t work out. He’s too cold and stoic for me, and I’m too energetic and excitable for him.” Phichit shrugged. “Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. Opposites don’t always attract, I guess.”

 

“You’ll find a mate eventually. And until then, I know you’ll be the best uncle you can be to my little girl.” Yuuri grinned as he placed a hand on his belly. His daughter had started kicking, and Yuuri had the sneaking suspicion that he’d be making a run to the bathroom soon.

 

“You know that being number one uncle will always be my first proirity. My niece is always going to be happy at my place and will never want to go home because she’s having so much fun. And I am especially going to be better than Chris. How Victor thinks Chris is going to be a good uncle is beyond me. I wouldn’t exactly call the guy kid friendly. Not to mention he’s either fucked or been fucked by at least half the guys in this place,” Phichit argued.

 

“Chris is Victor’s best friend, just like you’re mine. And believe it or not, he’s really good with kids,” Yuuri replied. “And so he enjoys sex. So do…” Yuuri snapped his mouth shut and turned away, blushing.

 

“I can clearly see that you and Victor like sex. I mean,” Phichit waved his hands at Yuuri’s mid section, making the omega blush even brighter. “Chris must have his nurturing omega deep down, like how your sex appeal omega was deep down, until you found Victor.”

 

“Phichit!” Yuuri snapped, feeling suddenly like he was over heating. “I-I’m done with this conversation.”

 

Phichit just grinned. “We won’t be for long.”

 

“I’m done here!” Yuuri said, leaving to grab money from tills.

 

When Phichit was off, he bought some food so he could snack on something while scrolling through his social media and kept himself preoccupied upstairs. He sat at the window, looking down at the store and front end from time to time.

 

Yuuri kept himself preoccupied by recounting the lotto, even though Phichit’s number was perfect. The ability to focus on something as simple as counting was relaxing in and of itself. Once Yuuri was done with that, he made sure he had all the refund slips from the day, and put them in order for Victor in the morning. He did a few returns before counting all the remaining trays besides Yuri’s and the one at the desk. It was a relief when he found the money missing from the safe. He hated when it was in the last till of the night.

 

He was having a light conversation with Yuri when a customer approached them, saying that there was someone holding up the bathroom.

 

Yuuri sighed, but made his way to the hall where the bathrooms the offices were. The bathrooms were at the beginning of the hall, and he knocked on the men’s.

 

“Excuse me, but other customers would like to use the restroom. Is there any way to finish up quickly?” he asked.

 

“I know your tricks,” the man on the other side replied. “You can’t make me come out.”

 

Yuuri stood frozen for a good few seconds. How was he supposed to respond to that? The store was closing in less than twenty minutes. The guy couldn’t just stay over night.

 

“I’ve got this, Yuuri,” Phichit murmured, appearing next to him and gripping his shoulder. “Go back to Yurio, focus on what you need to, and I’ll deal with this.”

 

Yuuri nodded, eternally grateful for his best friend, and went back to the floor.

 

Yuri talked to him between customers, and even brought him into conversations he was having with his customers, helping him calm down again. With a few deep breaths, he started to feel better again.

 

At nine fifty-five, Yuuri made his five minutes to closing announcement. As he hung up the phone he paged from, a man left the bathroom and walked straight out the door. Phichit followed halfway before stopping and shrugging. Yuuri was beyond caring whether or not he had any product on him. He was just glad that that problem was solved.

 

The rest of his night went smoothly, to Yuuri’s great relief. Yuri even forced his way into the office once the store’s doors were closed and locked, doing everything he could to make sure the older omega stayed calm.

 

“Thank you again, Yura. You have no idea how much I appreciate what you did for me tonight,” Yuuri said as they made their way to his car.

 

“It’s nothing, Katsudon. Really. You know I’ll help out whenever I can,” Yuri replied.

 

Yuuri wrapped his arms around the younger boy’s shoulders. His omega felt protective of the younger omega, as though he was his own pup. It was the same way he felt about the baby in his belly. He didn’t know when it had happened, but Yuri had basically become, at least in Yuuri’s head, his pup.

 

“Am I driving you home?” Yuuri asked.

 

“ _Nyet_. I’m heading to your place. Victor talked to grandpa. I can stay as long as you want me around,” Yuri said.

 

Yuuri brought the boy in again, crushing him in a hug. “Thank you, Yura,” he murmured.

 

His mate and his adoptive pup were both so thoughtful. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve them, but he was eternally grateful for it.

 

He was ready to give his husband a big hug, some kisses, and some much needed cuddles when they got home. It would be a good ending to the night.

 

He hoped Victor would have some food ready for them. Now that the stress of the night was over, he was starting to get hungry. It didn’t even matter that the baby was starting to twist and move in his stomach. He was ready for a night of rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how often people lock themselves in the bathroom. It happens way too much. And the worst is that we don’t have stallsin out bathrooms. Only one person can use each bathroom at a time, so when the men’s or women’s is occupied for more than two minutes, we get complaints. It’s a headache. 
> 
> Couple notes:
> 
> “And I’m not doing it for the hours.” -> At my job, I try to pick up as many hours as I can by going in early, staying late, and taking extra shifts. Another girl and I compete to see who gets more hours at the end of every week. It’s a fun contest.
> 
> The half door at the service desk -> At my last job, our service desk had this stupid half door that didn’t open easily, and if you were in a rush either leaving the desk or going behind it, it likely wouldn’t open properly and if you slammed into it, because it was at chest height (I’m 5’4”), then it would knock the wind out of you. I heard that one girl did crack a rib… You learned quick not to rush through there. 
> 
> Anyways, any other scenarios you want played out? Or maybe just an event or interaction between two characters? Comment requests below! I’ll get to as many as I can! The next chapter I’m already half way through writing, and it’ll be a couple years in the past to where we are now, but I’m excited for it!


	6. Victor’s First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Victor’s first night in the office on his own. What could possibly go wrong? Fingers crossed he doesn’t have to call his new boyfriend for help, but why aren’t things adding up???

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… it’s been a month, huh? Oops! Well, in that time, I wrote this (it’s a few years prior to the other chapters), I wrote the next chapter (is a bit longer and more Yuuri and Victor based than store shenanigans based), and have started the chapter after that. Other than that, I’ve been working, dealing with more people who are becoming new stories. Oops!
> 
> I’m going away on Monday for a few days, so I want to get the next chapter out before then, but I work both today and tomorrow, so not sure how that’s going to work out… maybe it’ll be out in the second week of August? I’m hoping that’ll be the latest it’s out. (I’ll also be at AniRevo next weekend, and I’m so excited! It was so much fun last year!)

Victor took a deep breath, calming himself before entering Katsuki Grocers. The last time he’d taken a deep breath like that before entering the building was on his first day of training for the service desk. The time before that had been when he had gone in for his first day of cashier training, and before that, when he’d dropped off his resumé. Only good things seemed to come when he paused and took a deep breath before entering the store. 

 

And today was a big one. It was his first night in the cash office  _ alone _ . 

 

He’d had a few nights with Yuuri for training, and the night before, Yuuri had let Victor do everything as he sat back and watched, speaking up only when Victor got stuck. Now, however, he was on his own. He just hoped the night would go smoothly. 

 

He smiled when he passed Phichit at the desk and knocked on the office door. Yuuri pulled the door open and a small smile graced his lips. “You know, this is your home now too. You have a key. You don’t need to knock anymore.” Yuuri murmured. 

 

Victor could feel his face warm as he nodded, entering. 

 

Yuuri pulled him into his body as soon as the door fell shut, kissing him before pulling back, both of them blushing madly. 

 

They had gone on a few dates and had established that they were boyfriends. No one they worked with knew. Not Chris (who was Victor’s best friend) or even Phichit (who was Yuuri’s best friend and  _ roommate _ ) and  _ especially _ not Yuuri’s parents. He’d told his moms that there was someone new in his life, but told them that it wasn’t anything serious yet, and to keep it quiet for the time being. He did, however, have the strong desire to dip and kiss Yuuri in front of everyone, to be open about their relationship, but he had his hesitations. 

 

He didn’t want it to look like he was sleeping his way into positions of more power. After all, he’d been offered cash office by Yuuri’s parents, not by Yuuri. Victor had been called into Toshiya’s office after one of his shifts, and he found Hiroko and a nervous Yuuri in the office too. Yuuri had been silent through the whole conversation, nodding his agreement to what his parents were saying, a faint but pretty blush across his cheeks. Afterword, Yuuri had apologized profusely in the break room, telling Victor all about how he had no idea his parents were planning on offering Victor the promotion, and that it was completely up to Victor whether or not he wanted it. It wouldn’t hurt Yuuri if Victor decided he didn’t want to be in the cash office. Victor reassured him endlessly that he was excited to be asked to be in the office, that there was a part of him that wanted to be offered the office. 

 

Victor also didn’t want Yuuri to seem like he could be easily manipulated, like taking him to bed was all it took to get what someone wanted. They’d entered their relationship knowing they’d have to keep it a secret from all their coworkers. Victor hoped that they could be open about it at some point. 

 

“Um, anyways, Phichit’s on the desk tonight, and he’ll be here if you have any questions. My dad will be here tonight too, and you have my number if you need anything at all. I’m just a call or a text away,” Yuuri said. 

 

“Thank you,” Victor replied. He drew Yuuri in for another kiss before the omega left. 

 

Victor took one last deep breath before setting to work. 

 

Step one: Count the safe. 

 

It was easy enough, as long as he didn’t mistake the two rolls of nickels for two dollars combined instead of two dollars each. (Victor had already made that mistake on two of his last three training shifts). He decided not to rush himself, and be precise instead, even if it took him a little longer. He was relieved when the safe balanced on his first attempt, and he could sign the safe log. 

 

Step two: Check how much money the tills had in them. 

 

When he ran the program, he decided, based on how much was in the tills, that two, three, and five needed pickups. Definitely till two. No problem, he could handle that. It was part of his job! Get money off the floor and into the safe. 

 

Step three: Go get the money. 

 

He left the office and went to the floor. He put an elastic and a slip of paper with the till number around each bundle before going back to the office. 

 

Step four: Count the pickup. 

 

Victor counted it out slowly and precisely, adding it up on an addo tape for each till. 

 

Step five: Enter it in the system and make sure the safe balanced. 

 

After putting the numbers in the computer, he added the pickup to the safe, counted it again, and made sure his numbers balanced. With a sigh of relief, his numbers matched. 

 

Step six: Show his pretty face on the floor.

 

He left the office, and Phichit looked up at him from what he was doing, a grin spreading across his face. “How’s it going?”

 

“I think I’m doing okay so far,” Victor replied. “What do you usually do to keep busy when you’re in the office?”

 

“Depends on the night. You can take some returns back, face shelves, pull some cardboard,” Phichit listed. “Just make sure breaks are being sent on time, and you know when people are starting and off.” 

 

Victor nodded, fleeing back to the office to check the coffee sheet for the breaks. He hadn’t looked at it yet, he realized, and he was about five minutes late on a break already. He called the till and told the cashier to go for break, making a mental note as to when the next few breaks were. He was relieved that this one being late didn’t impact any others. 

 

Step… what step was he on now? Eight? Nine? Step he would figure it out later: Find something to do to keep productive. 

 

Victor left the office again to find Phichit just on the other side, hand up as though he were about to knock. “Hey, I was about to say that you may want to go open on till. We’re getting a bit backed up,” the Thai boy said. 

 

Victor’s eyes widened as he looked to the line ups starting to twist down the aisles. “R-right,” he murmured, hurrying to the floor. 

 

Once he’d helped clear the customers out, he closed, and retreated back to the desk, taking a couple breaths. 

 

“Relax a bit, Victor. You’re doing pretty good for your first day. The safe is balanced?” Phichit asked, and Victor nodded. “Good. I miss counted my first pickup and was short until close, because of course I messed up on my last till. You’re doing better than me already.” The shorter boy laughed, turning to help a customer. 

 

Victor wasn’t as reassured as Phichit may have been hoping for. He was still a little overwhelmed by everything. By the fact that he was the one in charge of the front end. That if anything went wrong, he would be the one to fix it. Victor hoped he would know how, or that Phichit would still be there and show him mercy, showing him how to fix a till. 

 

Victor tried not to stress too much, and kept his step by step system as best he could, even if the numbered steps quickly became “and the next step.”

 

“You’re doing pretty good, Victor,” Phichit said when Victor came out of the office to take the Thai boy off. “Keep the breaks in mind, stay relaxed, and you’ll be fine. Also, and I can’t believe I have to tell you of all people this, be more confident in yourself. You’re almost worse than Yuuri.”

 

Victor chuckled. “No one’s more anxious than Yuuri.”

 

“You’re giving him a run for his money,” Phichit sang as he walked away. 

 

Phichit bought a few groceries before going home, and as he did, he only talked about Yuuri. How great his cooking was, how much he liked dogs, how sweet and thoughtful he was. Victor knew that Phichit was really trying to get his roommate a date, and Victor somehow suppressed his laughter. Instead of confessing and sending an over excited Phichit on his way home to an unexpecting Yuuri, or saying that maybe he would ask the Japanese boy out, Victor played dumb. 

 

_ Is his cooking good? He likes dogs? I have a dog! Does he like big dogs? Because Makkachin is a big dog. And she loves meeting new people! She gets a bit excited, though. She’s pushed people over before. Want to see pictures of her? Let me grab my phone from the office! _

 

Phichit finally left, shoulders slumped. He was no doubt under the assumption that Victor was extremely dense in the head and couldn’t see just how hard he was trying to get him to ask Yuuri out. Poor Phichit. He was putting in so much effort, and Victor was already dating Yuuri. 

 

The rest of Victor’s night, for the most part, went smoothly. All the customers were out by ten, the tills were all counted down to the floats by close, and he had counted the money he’d taken out and entered it. 

 

So tell him why the safe was  _ over by exactly three hundred dollars. _

 

Whatever, maybe he’d miss counted something. It happened. He counted the safe again very slowly and precisely, then again, getting the same number both times as his first number. 

 

Not knowing what else to do, he called Yuuri, and was relieved when the omega picked up on the first ring. 

 

“Hey, Victor. What’s wrong?” Yuuri asked, his soft voice exactly what Victor needed at that moment. 

 

“The safe is over by three hundred dollars,” Victor replied. “I don’t know why or what I did. I’ve counted it three times. I was so careful…”

 

“Victor, relax. Take a deep breath. Go into the cash status, and take a picture of it for me,” Yuuri said. 

 

Victor did as Yuuri instructed, and then he sat staring at the computer screen. There had to be  _ something _ he was missing. “…wait…”

 

“You see it?” Yuuri asked. 

 

“Till five is still expecting three hundred dollars. I pick it up there, right?” Victor asked. 

 

Yuuri was quiet for a moment, probably looking at the picture. “Yeah. That sounds right,” he replied. 

 

Victor sighed with relief, glad he was already fixing his own mistakes as he picked up the money and checked to make sure his numbers balanced. His whole body relaxed when he saw that they did. “Thank you, Yuuri.” 

 

“It’s nothing, Victor. Really. Do you want me to stay on the phone for you? Until you’re done?” 

 

“Do you mind?” Victor whispered. 

 

“Not at all,” Yuuri said. 

 

With Yuuri there to support him and murmur soft reassurances, Victor got finished fairly quickly, clocking out only fifteen minutes late. 

 

Despite all his hiccups, Victor had to admit that he couldn’t have asked for a better first night. He knew that he’d get used to it soon, that it would eventually become natural for him like it was for Yuuri and Phichit. He was glad for Yuuri, that he was there for him. It gave Victor that little burst of hope that told him that he could do it. 

 

And he could definitely do it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! I know that this is a bit more of a boring chapter, but this is essentially my job, and I get calls from one of the girls a lot about things that have gone wrong in the office the night before. (I’m walking into something I don’t even know how to fix in the morning, so this will be fun!) 
> 
> Mostly, this chapter is kinda setting up the next chapter, even though it’ll be set about two years later. Stay tuned!


	7. Say Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ask and you shall receive. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, clearly this didn’t get out before I went away… oops. 
> 
> Well, hope you can still enjoy this! Kind of a sequel to the last chapter, but a bit later.

“Come on, Victor! Why don’t you at least try asking Yuuri out on a date?” Chris asked. “You know you need a night out.”

 

Victor threw his leftovers from the night before, which were ironically from a date with Yuuri, in the staff room microwave. “Yuuri doesn’t need the drama. You know everyone will think he’s ready to jump on any alpha with a pretty face. You know what people say about omegas. You’re an omega yourself! And I don’t want anyone to think I’m sleeping my way up. Like into the cash office.”

 

“I think everyone knows how Yuuri is. He won’t let anyone sway him. He’s too stubborn for that,” Chris replied. “But yes, I know how some people view omegas. I just hope if you do start dating that boy, even in secret, you’ll at least tell me.”

 

Victor chuckled. “Of course, Chris. You’ll be the first one to know.” 

 

Victor couldn’t help but be surprized at how long him and Yuuri had been dating in secret without getting caught. They’d been together for almost two years by then, and still had yet to be found out. Not even Phichit, who Yuuri was still roommates with, knew. He was getting suspicious of Yuuri’s frequent disappearances and entire nights away from their apartment, but hadn’t appeared to put two and two together yet. 

 

Victor had asked Yuuri out on another date that night, and Yuuri had offered to have Victor over. Phichit was in the office that night, so they’d have some time to themselves before he got home and Victor had to leave. 

 

Chris smiled, satisfied with Victor’s answer. “Good.” 

 

They chatted until Chris’s break was over, then Victor picked up his phone and started scrolling through texts and pictures from Yuuri over the past two years. The _good morning_ s, the _sweet dream_ s, the pictures of their pets, their meals, themselves. The _I miss you_ s, the _how’s your day_ s, the _how can I help_ s, and all the inside jokes. He’d been happier since asking Yuuri out than he had been before. Yuuri had brought him life and love, things Victor had longed for but never thought he’d find. 

 

When he went back to the desk when his break was over, Yuuri smiled at him, taking his hand under the desk. 

 

“I can’t wait for tonight,” he murmured, playing with Victor’s long fingers. 

 

“I can’t wait for your cooking,” Victor replied, earning a light smack on the shoulder. 

 

“At least I know that the way to my alpha’s heart is through his stomach.” Yuuri grinned, his face lighting up the whole store. 

 

_My alpha._ Victor melted when Yuuri called Victor his. The omega was so sweet to him. It was hard to resist the urge to bend down and kiss him. 

 

“I should go get some work done…” Yuuri backed away reluctantly, their fingers sliding apart slowly. “We’ll have tonight…”

 

Victor smiled. “I can’t wait.” 

 

Yuuri’s shift ended first, Phichit making pointed glances at the two of them as they half assed their usual _have a good night_ s to each other. 

 

“What did you do?” Phichit asked when there were no customers around. “I’ve never seen Yuuri that awkward around anyone before. And you know how awkward Yuuri can be.” 

 

“Nothing happened, I swear,” Victor promised. 

 

Phichit still looked sceptical. “You better hope so, Nikiforov.”

 

Victor hated to admit that he was slightly intimidated by the shorter beta. He was glad he was off in fifteen more minutes. As soon as Mari got behind the desk, he bolted, Phichit telling her about Yuuri’s and Victor’s weird behaviour. 

 

Once getting back to his apartment, he took Makkachin out for a quick walk before getting into the shower. After he dried off, he held up some suit options for his dog to pick from, and he had to agree that her choices were perfect for the occasion. 

 

He made sure he had everything he needed and fed his dog before leaving his apartment and driving over to Yuuri’s. Yuuri had given him a key to the apartment a year ago, when Yuuri and Phichit had gone on vacation for a week, and Yuuri had convinced his roommate to let Victor keep the key afterword, just in case. Victor had given Yuuri a key to his own apartment in return. 

 

When he entered the apartment, he was greeted by the smell of cooking food, and a kiss from his omega. “Welcome home-ish,” Yuuri murmured, pulling the alpha down for another kiss. 

 

Victor grinned, meeting Yuuri’s lips before pulling away. The shorter man let out a soft whine. “Dinner smells great, love. What’s on the stove?” 

 

“Katsudon,” Yuuri replied, face brightening again. “Mama gave me the family recipe when I told her you were coming over tonight, because of how much you like it when we go over to their place.”

 

Mama Katsuki had been thrilled when Yuuri decided to introduce Victor to her and Papa Katsuki as his boyfriend. They had been confused at first, because of course they already knew Victor. They liked Victor, and trusted him enough to let him deal with the store’s money. Victor didn’t think he’d ever forget the squeal of pure joy mama let out when Yuuri said, “but this is Victor, my… my boyfriend.”

 

“I can’t wait,” Victor said. 

 

He helped set the table and poured them each a glass of champagne. Yuuri served the food, and put a bowl in front of each of them before sitting down and digging in. 

 

“ _Vkusno_!” Victor said. His omega was so good to him. How had he gotten so lucky? 

 

“I’m glad you like it. I don’t think it’s as good as my mom’s, but it’s still pretty good,” Yuuri said. 

 

“Yuuri, this is amazing. I’m so glad my omega cooks for me.” Victor sighed, content. 

 

Yuuri blushed a bright red, fidgeting in his seat. “Actually, Vitya, I invited you over tonight because I wanted to talk to you about something. Something really important.”

 

“I hope it’s nothing bad. Because I wanted to talk about something important too. Well, I suppose it’s more like I want to ask you something important,” Victor said. 

 

“No! I–I mean, no, nothing bad. Y–you go first,” Yuuri mumbled. 

 

Victor smiled. “Yuuri, you have no idea how much you mean to me. From the second I laid my eyes on you on my first day of training, you became my world. You’re my best friend, and the best omega I could have ever asked for. Now that we’ve gotten so close, I know that I can’t lose you. You and your family have welcomed me as one of your own, and now I want to become a real part of your family.” Victor slid down to one knee next to Yuuri, pulling open the ring box he’d tucked into his jacket to present Yuuri the engagement ring he’d chosen just for his omega. “Katsuki Yuuri, will you marry me?” 

 

Yuuri’s hands flew to his mouth, tears in his eyes as he looked at the golden right. It looked like a plain gold band, but there was half a snowflake engraved on the inside, a small diamond inlaid in the center. “Oh, Vitya,” he whispered, voice warbling. 

 

“I hope you weren’t going to break up with me, because that would make this–“

 

“I want you to share my heat with me,” Yuuri blurted out, holding his fists in front of his mouth, his brows drawing together in worry. 

 

Now Victor was quiet. Yuuri wanted him to…

 

“Yes! Yes, of course, Yuuri!” Victor said. Since getting together, Yuuri had had seven heats, and even though they had slept together outside of a heat or rut multiple times, they’d never shared a heat or a rut. Yuuri seemed to trust him enough to be that vulnerable around him. Did that mean… “So, will you marry me? Because my knee is starting to get sore.”

 

“Yes. Yes! I’ll marry you!” And Yuuri tackled the alpha to the floor, pressing their lips together. 

 

Victor smiled, wrapping his arms around his omega, holding their faces together as they made out on the kitchen floor. 

 

Yuuri eventually pulled away enough to let Victor slide the ring onto his finger before pulling the alpha’s mouth back to his as they kissed again. 

 

They eventually washed up their dinner plates and had dessert before going to the couch to watch a couple movies. Yuuri’s apartment had an old VCR and countless movies on VHS, mostly old Disney movies. Yuuri dozed off half way through the second one, head resting on Victor’s shoulder. 

 

Victor let him sleep, waking the omega at the end. It was a couple minutes past 10:30, and Victor knew that Phichit would be there at any time, if he was having a good night. 

 

“Yuuri, love, wake up. I have to go,” Victor murmured. 

 

“No,” the omega whined, clinging to his shirt. 

 

“Not only do we both work in the morning–”

 

“Stay with me.”

 

“–but Phichit will be home soon.”

 

Yuuri sprang up, instantly awake. “Fuck.”

 

Victor chuckled, pressing kisses to the side of Yuuri’s face. How he’d been lucky enough to find someone so cute, even when their hair was mused by sleep, or their glasses were knocked askew, he didn’t know. “There there, love. Maybe you’ll have to come over to my place tomorrow night.”

 

Yuuri smiled. “Maybe you’ll pick me up when I’m off?”

 

“Of course.” 

 

They fell back into their kisses, soft sighs falling from their lips.

 

The only thing that broke them apart was the sound of keys in the front door. 

 

Victor wondered if Yuuri would let his roommate in on their secret now that they were engaged. Victor looked up at Yuuri, who threw himself off the alpha, whiter than a sheet of paper. “My room. Now.” 

 

Victor couldn’t say he was shocked. How did someone just look at their best friend and say that they were engaged to someone they’d been with for two years without telling anyone? He would have to think about this himself. How was he going to tell Chris that he was going to be getting married?

 

Victor fled to the omega’s room, closing the door just as Phichit got his key to work in the front door. Thank goodness it stuck and took a couple attempts to get it unlocked. 

 

“Yuuri, you missed it tonight! You need to work more price change days! Well, nights,” Phichit said in greeting. 

 

“I know how they can be,” Yuuri said. 

 

“No, you have no idea. People are so dumb!” Phichit complained as he dove into the story of his night. It sounded like a snooty woman had wanted to complain that her items were all ringing up wrong, and the right prices were in the flyer. Apparently it had taken fifteen minutes of her holding up the line to make her realize that she was looking at the previous week’s flyer. Victor had dealt with people like that, possibly that exact woman, a few times.

 

Victor could hear Yuuri’s half assed responses, and couldn’t help the smirk that pulled up half his face. 

 

“Phichit, I’m tired. I just want to go to bed. You can tell me more tomorrow,” Yuuri finally said. 

 

“Why do I find that hard to believe, Mr. Night Owl?” Phichit replied. “I mean, you cooked tonight, but there’s nothing left for me, and all the dishes are suspiciously clean. Don’t tell me…”

 

“Phichit.” Yuuri’s voice was low with warning. 

 

“You had Victor over and banged him!” 

 

“No! Oh my Go–Phichit!” There was a scramble and it sounded way too close to Yuuri’s door for comfort. 

 

Instead of standing in the middle of the room, waiting to get caught, Victor decided to hide. He considered the closet first, but when it felt too obvious, Victor chose to take advantage of Yuuri’s unmade bed. He wrapped himself in a blanket that had fallen on the floor, and slid under the bed the best he could, pulling another over his top half to hide the rest of himself as the door opened. 

 

“Damn it! He was supposed to be laying naked across your bed! Maybe with some rose petals around him! Yuuri! You need to bang that boy!” Phichit groaned, the door of Yuuri’s closet opening. 

 

“I don’t need to bang anyone! I–I’m fine the way I am, Phichit. Just leave me alone and let me go to sleep. And clearly you didn’t check the kitchen well enough, because there’s leftover katsudon in the fridge and rice in the rice cooker. Maybe that will shut you up and make you leave me alone,” Yuuri said, closing the door when Phichit ran out and to the kitchen. Yuuri sighed. “Alright, Vitya. It’s just me.”

 

Victor sat up, resting his chin on the edge of the bed. “Yuuri, if you want to bang before I go, you know I wouldn’t say no to you.” 

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes, laying across kiss Victor’s lips. “You know I like our privacy when we bang. I don’t need Phichit walking in and catching us.” 

 

Victor smiled, brushing Yuuri’s hair off his forehead. “We are going to tell people we’re getting married, _da_? We’re going to have a real wedding instead of eloping, right?” 

 

Yuuri pressed forward, kissing Victor again. “Of course. I just want to tell my family and your moms before sitting down with Chris and Phichit to tell them. You know that once they know, everyone is going to know. I wouldn’t be shocked if Phichit already has a note written up for the binder to congratulate us.” 

 

“Undoubtedly,” Victor murmured, climbing on top of the omega as they made out for a few minutes. 

 

“I really don’t want to, but I guess I should go,” Victor murmured, face falling. He wanted nothing more than to spend the night with his fiancé– _fiancé_ –but he knew that he would soon have his whole life to spend the night with Yuuri. 

 

Yuuri nodded reluctantly, slowly letting the alpha go. “I love you. See you in the morning.” 

 

Victor smiled, pressing one last lingering kiss to Yuuri’s lips as he stood, straightening out his clothes. “I love you too, _lyubov moya_. See you in the morning.”

 

It wasn’t the first time Victor had to make his getaway using the fire escape. He was able to get down to his car without a problem, and was able to leave without question. Another clean getaway. 

 

Yuuri opened the next morning, and it was fairly quiet when Victor went to the service desk to punch in. Yuuri left the office, wearing a black cardigan over his uniform, and a steaming mug, likely full of tea, in his hands. 

 

“Good morning, Victor,” Yuuri murmured, smiling. As he raised the mug to his lips, his engagement ring glittered in the light. Victor knew Yuuri was running the risk of it being seen, considering he didn’t wear jewelry on a regular basis. Maybe he’d already told his parents. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t hiding it. Victor had called his moms as soon as he’d gotten home, and had told them he was officially engaged. They’d already known he was going to ask Yuuri, but were excited that Yuuri had said yes. 

 

“Good morning, Yuuri,” Victor said, smiling proudly that it was his ring on the omega’s finger. 

 

Mari was already on the desk, and Minako was there talking to her too. Phichit was on a till, but when he had no customers, he hovered around, doing idle housekeeping tasks like filling the hooks of reusable bags, cleaning what hadn’t been done the night before, and dusting the tills. He bounced over, dusting the last till carelessly as his poor cover. 

 

“By the way, what’s with the ring? I didn’t think you wore jewelry,” Minako said, looking at Yuuri’s hand with a hint of suspicion. 

 

Mari’s eyes widened as Yuuri hid his hand in his sleeve. “Minako!” the siblings shouted in unison, Mari giving her a _don’t say another word_ look while Yuuri blushed and looked away. His bottom lip slipped between his teeth in the way Victor found adorable. Phichit stopped pretending to clean and put all his attention on his best friend. 

 

“What’s going on over here? A safety meeting?” Chris asked as he approached. “Are we complimenting Yuuri again? That’s the only reason I can think of that would make him this red. Unless we’re talking about–”

 

“No! No we’re not! It’s nothing! E–everyone, get back to work!” Yuuri shouted. 

 

“Yuuri’s wearing a ring. On his _ring finger_!” Phichit replied, reaching for his phone before realizing that it was upstairs in his locker, where it was supposed to be. Chris reached into his pocket and handed his own phone over so the Thai boy could film. “Yuuri, how could you go and get engaged without telling me? I’m your best friend! If you had said you were seeing someone, I wouldn’t have pushed the idea of dating Victor so hard! Even though I think Victor would be a great alpha for you.”

 

“The question I think we’re all wondering is who gave you the ring?” Chris said, and all eyes turned on Yuuri, who started retreating toward the cash office door. 

 

The whole time, Yuuri was looking at Victor, who was smiling back. 

 

“Well, love, I’m not sure we can keep our secret anymore,” Victor murmured, leaning over the desk, and Yuuri took a deep breath before quickly closing the distance and pressing his lips to Victor’s. 

 

When Phichit and Chris started cheering and whooping, Yuuri broke away, glaring at their best friends. “Get back to your till, Phichit,” Yuuri hissed. “And Chris, go back to the deli. I’m sure you have food to fry and customers to serve.” 

 

Phichit and Chris giggled as they went back to their jobs. They made a few pointed comments about broken promises and going against bro code before trading numbers so Chris could send Phichit the video. 

 

“This is going to be a nightmare,” Yuuri moaned, putting his head on Victor’s shoulder. 

 

“Don’t worry, love. I’m here for you. I assume you definitely want me to pick you up when you’re off? Come over to my place to escape?” 

 

“That would be great.” And with one last kiss, Victor punched in, a whole two minutes late, and went to his till.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m considering putting together a physical compilation with a more linear timeline, so we’ll see how that goes! Please let me know if you’d be interested or not! It would probably contain some exclusive scenes too! 
> 
> And as always, if there are any scenes or scenarios you want to see, or even see in more detail, just let me know!


	8. Not on Our Watch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s a general problem in any store, and they hit no matter what is sold: shoplifters. And Victor has no qualms about going after them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… it’s been a while…
> 
> I’ve been a bit busy with work, where I’m getting more responsibility, and I’ve been doing a drawing project/challenge for myself that you can find on my Instagram or Tumblr. 
> 
> I’ve also had some writer’s block with the next chapter, but I’m working on it! I promise! I’ll try not to make this wait too long. I’m really excited for the chapter I have planned after the next one.

Yuri may not have been working at Katsuki Grocers for long, but one thing was almost immediately obvious: the shoplifters were a problem. 

 

They had loss prevention, but they didn’t always have a secret shopper, and even when they did, the shoplifters could often pick them out at a mere glance. 

 

He couldn’t count the number of times Yuuri or Victor, especially, ended up in the parking lot with the LPOs to help or witness the shoplifter get caught. Since getting pregnant, Yuuri had stopped assisting in the chases, instead waddling to the front doors to watch as he stroked his belly and called 911 if necessary. 

 

Yuri was on the desk on this particular night, and Mila and Otabek had hovered over to him, having nothing to do in their respective departments, and decided to take a few minutes to chat. 

 

Victor was in the office, but had gone upstairs for a break, and Yuri could see him at the window overlooking the store and customers below him, almost like they were his kingdom and people. His eyes and head kept in constant motion, analyzing faces and behaviour. Yuri hoped the old man wouldn’t say anything about Otabek and Mila. It wasn’t his fault they were hanging around and chatting. He hadn’t called them over, and he couldn’t control what they did. 

 

It was then that a tall, buff-looking woman with dark hair drawn back in a slick ponytail came up to the desk. She held herself strong, and Yuri didn’t even need to pick up on the faint pheromones coming off her to tell that she was an alpha. “Where’s Victor?” she asked. 

 

“Lana!” Victor called across the front end, suddenly downstairs and running out the front doors, the girl following. Yuri, Mila, and Otabek just stared after her. 

 

It instantly clicked to Yuri that Lana had been an LPO at the store at one point. While she was presently working at a store a few businesses down, Yuuri and Victor still called on her constantly to catch their shoplifters too, if she was having a slow night. 

 

The group watched from the desk as Lana and Victor confronted the girl in the parking lot. Victor made a grab for the full bag she had walked out with, and she dropped it, shouting at him and Lana before darting around the side of the building. Victor went after her. 

 

Mila and Otabek looked at each other for a split second before running to the other side of the store. There was a door to the side of the building in the back room, and Yuri was sure they’d be able to cut her off, if Victor didn’t get her first. 

 

Yuri sighed, crossing his arms over the desk. Everyone was able to roam around and do something to help the situation but him, and it made him feel left out. He had to stay put at the desk to make sure no one tried to steal any lotto or cigarettes. Even though he understood why, it still felt a little unfair. 

 

Mila and Otabek came back only a few minutes later, both panting despite the grins spread across their faces. 

 

“Well? What happened? What happened? Did she get away?” Yuri asked, gripping the edge of the counter, resisting the urge to hit the top the way Yuuko would when she got excited. As left out as he felt, he still had to know what had happened. 

 

Mila grinned, wide and maniac. “It was great. The girl didn’t realize that there were two fences around the side, between our building and the one next door, and was slower at climbing them than Victor was. So, Victor just barely missed her going over the first fence, but he got over it in no time, grabbed her when she was halfway up the second one, and pulled her back down. After that, Lana jumped in and is taking her to the store she works at now. She’s putting her in their holding cell until the cops get there.” 

 

“Yurio, do you mind scanning these up and making a suspended receipt?” Victor asked as he approached, dropping an old, worn cloth bag on the counter. 

 

Yuri nodded, ignoring the nickname, and set to work. He signed into the till, then carefully took the items out of the bag, using the hand scanner to scan each item as he went. 

 

“Victor, didn’t Katsudon tell you to stop chasing shoplifters so much?” Yuri asked to fill the silence between them, and to distract from the constant beeping of the scanner. 

 

Victor winced. “He… he may have. He wants me to start acting more like a man who’s about to be a father, but I can’t just watch money go out the door. Not when I can do something.” He sighed. “Please don’t tell Yuuri about this. He’s been moody lately, and the hormones have been getting to him more than usual.” 

 

“He just cares about you, idiot. He doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

 

Victor chuckled. “You know, you really remind me of Yuuri sometimes.”

 

“I am nothing like the Katsudon!” Yuri protested, suspending the order he’d rung up and slapping the receipt down on the counter. 

 

Victor laughed as Yuri resumed the order and voided the transaction. “You two are plenty alike, aside from him calling me cute names, and you calling me things you better not let Lilia hear. Maybe it’s the omega. It makes you care a bit.” 

 

Yuri rolled his eyes before looking at the other two employees who had stepped to the side, looking amused. “Oi, Otabek. Put this away before it melts everywhere.” He nudged a couple small tubs of ice cream and a container of yogurt in his direction. 

 

“Sure.” Otabek grabbed the products, and headed back toward frozen section. The rest, Yuri threw in the pile of returns next to Victor’s cash office door. It was just candy and chocolate, nothing that had to go back right away. Grocery could grab it when they were bored. 

 

Lana was back a few minutes later to grab the the suspended receipt for her report. Her and Victor laughed and chatted for a bit until the cops showed up, and they gave their statements before Lana took the cops to the other store for the woman. 

 

Yuri finished counting the lotto and had to recount when it was a few dollars off, thankfully getting it right the second time. He didn’t know why the three dollar tickets sent him for such a loop, but that tended to be where he went wrong. 

 

Victor didn’t chase after anymore shoplifters through the rest of the night, though he did watch and follow the people he thought may try to steal. 

 

At eight thirty sharp, Yuuri waddled in, smiling brightly at Yuri and Victor, who were idly chatting at the desk. His hand ran from the side of his belly to the bottom and back. 

 

“Yuuri, I told you you didn’t have to come in. You should have stayed in the car,” Victor murmured, leaning over the desk for a kiss. 

 

“But if I didn’t come in, I would have had to wait until you got home to see you,” Yuuri replied, batting his eyelashes in a way that tended to make Victor think his husband could do no wrong. Yuri wanted to gag. Victor just smiled and leaned in for another kiss. 

 

Yuri found it incredible how tightly Yuuri had Victor wrapped around his little finger. Victor would do anything for Yuuri, no questions asked. Yuri was pretty sure Victor would commit murder if it meant keeping Yuuri happy. 

 

“So, how were your days? Anything exciting happen?” Yuuri asked. 

 

“It’s been a pretty normal shift. A bit busy, but nothing out of control,” Victor replied. Yuri hoped for his sake that Yuuri didn’t catch on that he was lying. 

 

Yuuri hummed. “Well, I’m grabbing a few groceries before we go. Meet me at the front, Yura?”

 

“Sure,” Yuri replied as the older omega waddled off into the store. 

 

“He’s onto you,” Yuri warned, rounding the desk to punch out. 

 

“He is not,” Victor hissed. “Yuuri trusts me.” 

 

“Well, he clearly shouldn’t, considering you’re lying to him,” Yuri replied, taking his books, mints, and water bottle, fleeing the desk before Victor had the chance to shoot him in the back with an elastic band. They got into small wars from time to time, especially when one of them was at the desk and the other was on a till. 

 

When Yuri got back downstairs with the stuff he needed from his locker, Yuuri was already in line at the tills. Yuri couldn’t help but be amazed at how fast Yuuri was, even when he was reduced to a waddle. Kenjirou chatted excitedly as he scanned Yuuri’s things, and Yuuri laughed along. 

 

“So, how much longer until the baby comes?” He asked as he bagged. 

 

Yuuri’s smile softened as he pat his belly. “Not much longer to go, only a couple more months. Vitya’s starting to get antsy. I’m shocked he hasn’t gone full blown alpha yet.” 

 

“Well, you’re carrying his pup. Of course he’s going to be a bit protective of you,” Kenjirou replied. 

 

Yuuri smiled wider. “True enough.” He looked back to the service desk, where Victor was watching his mate. “See you when you get home, Vitya. Love you!” 

 

“Love you too,” he called back, a grin spreading across his face. Yuri felt the urge to gag coming back. 

 

Yuri took the bags for Yuuri and followed the older omega to his car. After securing the bags in the back seat, Yuri got in the passenger seat, finding Yuuri staring at him suspiciously. 

 

“Yura.” His voice was low in warning. “What happened tonight?” 

 

Yuri slouched in his seat. “How do you know something happened?” 

 

“Lana texted me when they caught the woman. Nothing goes on in my family’s store without me knowing. That, and I know when my husband is lying to me,” Yuuri replied very matter of factly. 

 

“He was trying to protect you,” Yuri mumbled. “He didn’t want you to be mad at him.” 

 

Yuuri sighed, but smiled. “He needs to stop treating me so delicately. He’s protective to a fault.”

 

Yuri nodded along. He could agree that Victor could be extreme. It was how he’d always been in everything he did, and he was very protective of his mate and unborn child. “He just worries about you. He doesn’t want you to stress.” 

 

Yuuri’s face softened as he looked to his belly, stroking it. “I know. He really cares about us. He’s a good alpha, and he’s going to be an amazing father.”

 

“He’s going to be an annoying father. He’ll be the kind that goes around showing everyone pictures of the kid. Not that he doesn’t show me every ultrasound already,” Yuri said. 

 

Yuuri laughed. “He’s just excited.”

 

“He’s worse than the damned poodle!” Yuri was proud of himself for the laughing fit that followed from Yuuri. Yuri knew that Yuuri had had a somewhat difficult pregnancy, and was glad that he could cheer up the older omega as easily as he could. 

 

“Anyways, you want to come over for some food?” Yuuri asked once he’d calmed down. “I imagine you didn’t get the chance to eat an actual dinner.” He reached over to smooth down the hair that was spread out across Yuri’s shoulder, a smile turning up his lips. 

 

“You know I can’t say no to your cooking,” Yuri mumbled, turning his face away from Yuuri. 

 

Yuuri finally started the car, looking satisfied with himself. “Good. Because I made katsudon piroshki tonight.”

 

Yuri felt his face light up before he could try to hide it. Aside from his grandpa, Yuuri made the best piroshki, and his katsudon piroshki were possibly the best. Not that he would tell that part to his grandpa. 

 

This could be a good night. He was going to get a good dinner, and potentially a show when Victor got home. 

 

Was it bad that he was a bit excited about it…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. That happened. The store I worked at at the time was connected to a mall, so the woman tried to run into the mall only to get stopped by not one but two sliding doors, where my supervisor was able to stop her. It was a good laugh at the time. 
> 
> Also, I realized that, if you’re paying attention, Mila was a cashier a couple chapters ago. That was a mistake. She’s general merchandise (makeup, baby, hair care, etc.). So yeah. I’ll probably go back at some point and fix it, but we’ll see who I decide to put in there instead. It’ll probably change the whole scene.


	9. Why the Meddling?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri values his friendship with Otabek, but he can’t help but wish something more would happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… it’s been a while…
> 
> Holiday season is crazy around the grocery store, and the month leading up to it is hectic in my family too. This chapter also gave me horrendous writer’s block. 
> 
> I’m hoping that the next chapter doesn’t give me the same problems. Wish me luck!

“Hey, Yura,” Otabek said with a warm smile as Yuri came up the stairs into the break room. 

 

“Hey, Beka,” Yuri replied with a grin back. He pulled a snack out of his locker and sat down across from the older boy. “You on a fifteen?” 

 

“My half,” he replied, pulling his headphones from his head and letting them drop around his neck. 

 

Yuri nodded, digging into the sandwich Yuuri had insisted on packing for the younger omega. Yuri could only imagine how much he was going to do for his baby, especially considering Yuuri’s omega instincts only seemed to get stronger the farther along he got in his pregnancy. Yuuri and Victor's baby was going to be extremely well taken care of. 

 

“Play any shows lately?” Yuri asked, looking to Otabek again. 

 

“Just the one a couple weeks ago,” Otabek replied, shoving his hand into the bag of chips he had on the table. “You should come sometime. Just let me know, and I could probably get you backstage.”

 

“Really? That would be so cool!” Yuri said, face lighting up. 

 

“What is this? Do I sense some flirting up here?” a voice asked as Christophe appeared at the top of the stairs. 

 

Yuri felt his cheeks warm, and noticed that even Otabek’s brightened a touch. “S-shut up, creep. We’re not flirting. Why would we be flirting?” 

 

Chris looked at them doubtfully, but shrugged. “Whatever you want to call it, I guess. Everyone calls it something different these days,” He dropped a wink at the boys as he passed by them on his way to the bathroom. 

 

Yuri ate in silence and Otabek went back to scrolling through his phone until Christophe was done and the door at the bottom of the stairs closed firmly behind him. 

 

“Chris is weird, isn’t he?” Yuri said, slumping back in his chair. “He’s as nosy as the old man.” 

 

Otabek chuckled. “You think maybe Victor sends people up here to check up on you?” 

 

Yuri rolled his eyes. “There’s a part of me that doubts that, but another that wouldn't be surprised.” 

 

They both laughed before going back to their phones. Yuri couldn’t help peeking over at Otabek. He was handsome, with his strong jawline and high cheekbones. Even from across the table, it was hard to tell if his eyes were black or just a dark brown, but they shone nonetheless. Yuri couldn’t help but find them pretty. 

 

Otabek looked up at him and caught him staring, giving the blond a lopsided smile. “Can I help you?” 

 

Yuri blushed, ducking his head behind his phone. “N-no, I’m good.”

 

Otabek chuckled, looking back to his phone. 

 

_Come on, Yuri. He’s just a coworker. A really attractive coworker, but still a coworker._ Yuri sighed inwardly 

 

At the end of his break, Yuri tossed his phone into his locker before clicking his lock back in place. 

 

“Yura,” Otabek said, drawing the blond’s attention, despite being two steps down the stairs. “Would you want to go out for dinner sometime? With me?”

 

_Yes. Yes! Ye-_

 

“N-no. I can’t. I-I have to go!” Yuri dashed down the stairs, surprising himself when he didn’t trip. 

 

He wanted to slap himself. Why had he said that? Of course he wanted to go to dinner with Otabek. He very much wanted to go to dinner with Otabek. 

 

Of course he’d ruin his chance. 

 

“Uh, you okay, Yuri?” Kenjirou asked. 

 

Yuri groaned, ignoring the other boy as he opened his till. 

 

“Come on, Yuri. Tell me! Clearly something’s up,” Kenjirou said. “You know I can keep a secret!” 

 

“And yet, I got busted for taking Victor’s stupid pink convertible for a test drive,” Yuri mumbled, looking away. “Otabek asked me out.” 

 

“That’s awesome! You’ve been wanting him to ask you out for so long!” The boy said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

 

“Shh!” Yuri hissed. “The whole fucking store doesn’t need to know.” 

 

“Okay, okay. But isn’t this a good thing?” Kenjirou asked, looking confused. 

 

“I guess, except I panicked and said no,” Yuri replied. 

 

Kenjirou blinked at him a couple times. “You have to be kidding me. You’re Yuri freaking Plisetsky! You don’t get nervous around boys!” 

 

“Well, apparently I get nervous around this boy,” Yuri groaned, waving a customer over to his till to end the conversation. 

 

By the end of his shift, Yuri knew that he was doing everything he could to avoid Otabek, even if he hadn’t meant to at first. He did everything in his power to not have to call the grocery department over, even if it meant passing off his cold returns to the cashiers next to him. He took a deep breath the one time he had to page grocery to his till, and only let it out when JJ came. He never thought he’d be relieved to see JJ, especially when the older boy laughed and teased him about looking relieved at the sight of the king. JJ’s words, not Yuri’s. 

 

When he was off, he rushed upstairs and got his belongings together before bolting to get outside and to Yuuri’s car. 

 

Only, when he looked at the driver's seat, it was empty. Turning back, he looked to the service desk and saw the raven haired omega there talking to Victor and, of course, Otabek himself. 

 

Yuri ducked behind the stack of baskets just inside the doors, peeking out just in time to catch Yuuri’s eye before the blond ducked back to cover. 

 

Only moments later, Yuuri came around the corner, bags in his hands and hanging from his wrist, hand pressed against his belly as he looked at the younger boy in amusement. “Ready to go?” he asked. 

 

Yuri nodded, taking some of the bags and all but dashing to the black car. The older omega looked fondly at the boy as he waddled across the parking lot. Yuri, meanwhile, was hopping back and forth from foot to foot, trying to make Yuuri hurry up. 

 

“Yura, I can’t move very fast anymore, remember? Baby on board,” Yuuri sighed, cradling his belly. 

 

“ _Da, da_. Just unlock the damn door,” Yuri hissed, checking the front window for Otabek. No sign of him, but that didn’t put his nerves at ease. 

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes, but pressed the unlock button on his keys. The blond all but threw the bags in the back seat before getting into the passenger seat, whole body vibrating. 

 

Yuuri didn’t say anything until they got onto the street. “So you said no to Otabek, huh?” Yuuri said. “I thought you really liked him. I thought you would have said yes. 

 

Yuri stares at the older man. “How the fuck do you know that?” 

 

Yuuri rubbed his belly briefly and sighed. “Otabek told Victor and I. He’s been wanting to ask you out for a while now. We were the ones that encouraged him to finally do it. I know you’ve liked him for a while, and he just needed a little push to ask you out.”

 

Yuri let out a loud, long groan. “Why did you and the old man have to get yourselves involved, pig? You could have at least given me a heads up! I made a complete fool of myself in front of him!”

 

“Oh, Yura.” Yuuri sighed. “All you have to do is talk to him. Explain that you panicked or something. He really likes you, Yura. He deserves a shot.” 

 

Yuri felt his face warm, and turned to look out the window. “At least you’re cooking dinner to make it up to me.”

 

Yuuri laughed. 

 

The rest of the ride to Yuuri and Victor’s apartment was spent telling telling Yuuri about the rude customers he’d had that day, and how strained Victor’s smile had become while arguing with a woman that yes, a cashier has taken half off of her cherries. After Yuri had tried to explain how he had done them, he had to call Victor over, who had had to explain it to her in three different ways before she was quiet, looked at her receipt, and walked away. Yuri had burst out laughing when he saw the look of annoyance on Victor’s face. Even Yuuri was smiling at the story, likely at the mental image. 

 

Once at the apartment, Yuri helped the older omega take all the groceries up to the apartment, and Yuuri set about starting on dinner. Yuri gave a hand, splitting his attention between cooking and his phone. 

 

Yuuri was making katsudon, something that, while they’d had more since becoming pregnant, he still only made after important milestones and appointments. Yuri hadn’t heard of anything important happening with the baby, and after a day of working with Victor, he’d have found out if there was. He was starting to get suspicious. 

 

At the normal time Victor got home after an opening shift, the front door was thrown wide open. “Honey, I’m home!”

 

A grin spread across Yuuri’s face as Victor entered the kitchen, pressing a kiss to the top of his husband’s head before Yuuri reached up for one on his lips, one of the alpha’s hands finding the omega’s belly. Yuri couldn’t deny that they did make a cute couple. Outwardly, he rolled his eyes at them. 

 

“You have a nice home, Mr. and Mr. Nikiforov.” 

 

Yuri froze when he heard Otabek’s smooth voice at the door and smelled his rich forestry smell, then sank to the floor, hiding behind the island. 

 

Yuuri, on the other hand, lit up like a damned Christmas tree. “Otabek! Welcome! I’m so glad you could join us! Please, make yourself at home. Yura and I were just making dinner.”

 

Yuri felt the sudden desire to cuss Yuuri out, but refrained, not wanting to get cussed out in return from Victor. 

 

“What the fuck have you done, Katsudon?” Yuri hissed, standing when Yuuri tried to help him up. “Why the fuck would you invite Otabek over?” 

 

“Yura, you need closure from this, the same way he does. You both like each other. Just talk to each other? Victor and I will give you some space after dinner,” Yuuri murmured, resting a hand on the blond’s shoulder. 

 

“He’ll think I’m an idiot!” Yuri yelled, then looked to the living room with wide eyes to see both Victor and Otabek looking at him. Victor had one of his pale eyebrows raised in amusement while both of Otabek’s had gone up in surprise. He felt his face warm, and turned around to tend to the nothing on the stove. He _felt_ like an idiot. 

 

Yuri kept quiet as he helped finish dinner, ate, and started the clean up. He’d just rolled up his sleeves and put his hands in the soapy dishwater when-

 

“I can dry, if you want.” 

 

Yuuri jumped at the voice behind him, looking over his shoulder to see Otabek standing on the other side of the island with a towel in his hands, looking awkward. Yuri turned back around, hoping he could blame the redness he felt in his face on the steam coming out of the sink. 

 

“I-it’s okay. You don’t have to do that. You’re a guest,” Yuri replied. 

 

“You are too,” Otabek pointed out. 

 

Yuri groaned when he realized he had no other excuses. “Look, I was an idiot earlier, and I wasn’t thinking when I was talking. I didn’t want to confront my feelings earlier, so I ran. But I really like you, and I would really like to go out with you, but I don’t want to fuck it up as much as I already have, and now I’m babbling, and I should shut up now.” _Yes, Yuri. Shut up! You’re only digging yourself a deeper…_

 

Yuri gasped when he felt Otabek’s lips on his. 

 

“So, is this okay, then?” he asked. 

 

Yuri nodded, wrapping his arms around Otabek’s neck without care for his wet hands, and kissing him again. 

 

Meanwhile, Victor and Yuuri watched from the loveseat, the former sighing as the later rested his head on his alpha’s shoulder. “Ah, young love,” Victor murmured. “I’m glad we decided to step in and play matchmakers.” 

 

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “I’m just glad Yura’s happy.” 

 

“True. That is most important.” 

 

The couple shared a kiss of their own before stepping out on the balcony to give the young pair a moment to themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Yes, the cherry thing happened. At my store, we reduce produce by 50% when it’s close to expiring, and one of my coworkers passed off a customer to me to explain that yes, she did get her cherries at half off. Fun part was, I was off and trying to buy groceries of my own when she was handed off to me. My coworkers are lucky I’m patent.)
> 
> So, yeah. I hope the next chapter, which I’m excited to write, will be out soon! Let me know if there are any scenarios or events you want to see in the comments!


	10. The Best Kind of Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When dinner plans fall apart because of a sudden illness, things always have a way of resolving themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been so excited about this chapter for so long!

“I don’t know why you have to drag me around everywhere for your stupid errands, old man,” Yuri hissed, ducking his nose back into the protective warmth of his scarf. 

 

“Because I know you want to come over for dinner, especially because Yuuri promised to make katsudon.” Victor could feel himself salivating at the mere thought of his husband’s favourite dish. He couldn’t wait to dig into a bowl of hot katsudon, made by his dearest husband.

 

The errands Yuuri had given them didn’t take too long to complete before they hurried home to Victor’s apartment. 

 

“Honey, I’m home!” Victor called out as he threw the door open. Yuri trailed behind, making a sound of disgust. 

 

“Do you really have to do that every time you get home?” Yuri asked, slipping his shoes off before entering the apartment. 

 

“Of course I do,” Victor said proudly before realizing something was off. Yuuri was nowhere to be found, and nor were their dogs, who always ran to the door every time it opened. Yuuri’s shoes were still at the door, as were both Makkachin’s and Vicchan’s leashes, which meant he still had to be at home. Yet there was no music playing in the living room, no sounds of movement or cooking in the kitchen. “Yuuri?” Victor called out. 

 

“Vitya,” Yuuri called out, voice weak. He sounded like he was down the hall, likely their bedroom. 

 

“Make yourself comfortable, Yura. I’ll be right back,” Victor said. He hadn’t called his cousin Yura in a few years, Yuuri’s sister giving him the nickname Yurio shortly after Victor had started at the Katsukis’ store, and the nickname had stuck since he’d been introduced to the family. 

 

“Take your time,” Yuri replied, waving him off as he dropped himself on the couch and took out his phone. 

 

Victor went down the hall to the master bedroom to find his husband curled up in the bed, the dogs on either side of him. 

 

“Yuuri, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Victor asked when he saw movement under the blankets. He moved to the edge of the bed, sitting next to his husband’s balled up form. Vicchan gave him a small yip in greeting. 

 

“Don’t worry about me, Vitya. I’ll be fine. Yura’s here, right? Go spend time with him,” Yuuri murmured. 

 

Victor let out a soft sigh, pressing his nose to the scent gland on his husband’s neck. “I just want to know you’re okay, love. I feel uneasy when I know you’re unwell.” Victor took in another deep whiff of the gland. “Yuuri, I-I think you smell a bit different. Not in a bad way, though.” 

 

“I’m just sick, Vitya. Go out to Yura. I don’t want you catching whatever I have. I’ll join you guys if I feel better, I promise.” Yuuri smiled up at him. “Tell him I’m sorry about dinner.” 

 

Victor pressed a long kiss to his forehead. “I’ll figure something out for dinner tonight. Just focus on feeling better, okay?” 

 

Yuuri nodded. “Thank you, Vitya.” 

 

Victor went back to the living room, Yuri looking up from his phone with concern. 

 

“Is he okay?” Yuri asked. He only seemed to show real concern for Yuuri. Everyone else was regarded with no less than mild disdain, and if it were Victor, he’d make a snide remark and laugh in his face if not ignore him all together. 

 

Victor nodded. “He is, but he won’t be able to make dinner tonight.” 

 

“That’s fine. You’ll figure something out,” Yuri replied, which made Victor chuckle. “And I know you’ll make something I like.” 

 

Victor rolled his eyes. “Alright, how about I make some of Uncle Nikolai’s pirozhki? Though I’m not sure what time we’ll eat at.”

 

Yuri’s face lit up. “Really? You’re actually going to grandpa’s pirozhki? We could eat at midnight for all I care.” 

 

Victor laughed. “We’ll have to head to the store for a few things before we can start.”

 

“Yeah, sure, don’t care. Hurry up! Let’s go!” Yuri said, springing to his feet and getting his shoes on at the door. 

 

Victor went down the hall again, only to find his husband missing from their bed. He took a step into the room before he heard a moan from the bathroom. He rushed to the door. “Yuuri? Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah. Just a little sick again,” Yuuri replied. 

 

“Yuri and I were going to head to the store, but if you need me to stay here, I can give him the list and he can go on his own,” Victor murmured through the door. 

 

“Vitya, I’m fine,” Yuuri said, the door opening. He was paler than Victor had originally thought. His cheeks were red, almost looking feverish, especially in contrast to the pallor of the rest of his face. “Could you grab me something to settle my stomach? And some more ginger ale? I’ve been through most of what we had today already.” 

 

Victor pressed a kiss to Yuuri’s forehead. “Alright. Let me know if you’re sick again, okay? Or if you need anything else. My ringer is on.” 

 

“I will.” Yuuri smiled up at Victor who sighed, smoothing down his husband’s messy raven hair. How had he gotten so lucky to be able to love and be loved by this man? 

 

“Oi! Old man! Let’s go! We have pirozhki to make!” Yuri shouted from the front door. 

 

Victor chuckled. “Sounds like the kitten is getting impatient. I’ll see you when we get home, love.”

 

Yuuri nodded, reaching up to kiss the alpha’s cheek before going back to bed. 

 

Yuri almost pulled Victor out of the apartment before he could get his shoes on. The walk was quick, Yuri speeding ahead in his excitement while Victor had to almost sprint to keep up. The brisk air of early February cooled any sweat that formed on the back of his neck, and chilled his fingers, despite being gloved and tucked away in his pockets. 

 

The convenience store a couple blocks away from the apartment was warm, chasing the outside chill away. Yuri grabbed one of the black baskets from just inside the doorway, and wandered off on his own. Victor grabbed his own basket and headed for the pharmacy section. 

 

Victor walked up and down the aisle, looking for the nausea medicines, when he found himself in front of the birth control and pregnancy section. He couldn’t help pausing, looking at the shelf of pregnancy tests. Surely Yuuri couldn’t be…

 

“Victor! I’m going to get some extra-oh.” The blond froze next to Victor, following the older man’s line of sight. “Shit. You don’t think it’s possible, do you?”

 

“I-I don’t know. We’ve been so careful. Especially in…” Victor trailed off. For the most part, they _had_ been careful, with the only exception being his birthday…

 

Yuuri had cooked him a wonderful dinner, and they had had a bit too much wine. The heavy pheromones they’d released between them had triggered a short heat and rut. Was it possible that his husband was…?

 

Of course they’d talked about having kids and starting a family, and they both wanted to one day. But they hadn’t gotten around to the discussion about _when_ they wanted to start trying. Were they ready?

 

Victor shook the thoughts from his head, reaching out with a shaky hand to toss a test in his basket. He just had to be sure. 

 

Yuri was quiet, more docile, as they grabbed what they needed and headed home. 

 

“Welcome home, Vitya, Yura,” Yuuri said when they entered the apartment, meeting them at the door. The dogs were at his heels, watching him before turning their attention to the door. 

 

“You feeling better, love?” Victor asked, pressing a kiss to his husband’s forehead. “I hope you’re not forcing yourself out of bed.” 

 

“I’m feeling much better. I even started on dinner! I overheard that you were going to make pirozhki, and since I was going to make katsudon tonight, I thought we could make katsudon pirozhki together,” Yuuri said.

 

“That sounds wonderful. Just let me know if you need to sit down,” Victor said, handing Yuuri the bag that had his items in it. 

 

Yuuri put it on the counter and started to unpack it as Victor did the others, stopping when he heard Yuuri’s soft gasp. “You don’t think…” 

 

“I’ll be in the living room with my headphones in,” Yuri said, excusing himself. He was already fighting to untangle the cord that he’d shoved in his pocket earlier. 

 

“I thought it might be a possibility,” Victor admitted. “I know that this isn’t the first time this week you haven’t felt well. This was just the worst day.” 

 

Yuuri looked to him, realization dawning on him. “Your birthday.”

 

Victor nodded his confirmation. 

 

“I-I’ll be right back,” Yuuri murmured, retreating to the bathroom. 

 

Yuuri returned less than a minute later, stick in hand. He rubbed his cheek against the scent gland on Victor’s neck, and Victor could smell the fresh anxiety in his scent. 

 

“It’ll be okay, love. You know I’ll support you no matter what,” Victor murmured, wrapping his arms around his husband.

 

Yuuri nodded, huddling closer to him. Victor gave him a tight squeeze. 

 

They stood in silence for a few minutes before Yuuri took a deep breath and lifted the stick so they could both see the results. 

 

In the small window, there were two solid blue lines. 

 

Victor closed his eyes and let out a breath, squeezing his husband as tight as he could. “Yuuri, everything is going to be okay. We can do whatever you want. I’m not going to make you keep this baby if you don’t feel ready.” 

 

Yuuri turned in his arms, holding the sides of Victor’s face. “I-I think I want to keep it,” Yuuri whispered. 

 

Victor smiled widely before pressing his lips to his husband’s. “I’m so excited to take this step with you, Yuuri.” 

 

“I am too.” Yuuri kissed him again. “A baby, Vitya. We’re having a _baby_.”

 

They shared a few sweet kisses before Yuuri pulled back, brushing Victor’s hair back from his face. He tried to tuck it behind his ear, but it slipped back right away. “Do we tell Yura now? It has to be too early to be telling people.” 

 

Victor chuckled, looking in the direction of their living room. “It is, but he knows about the test. I’m sure he’ll be curious about the result. And it’s not like he’ll tell anyone.” 

 

Yuuri nodded in agreement, but didn’t move. After a moment, his dropped a hand to his belly. “We’re having a baby,” he whispered. 

 

Victor chuckled, kissed the top of his head, and pulled him along to tell his cousin their news. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ‘m hoping to get the next chapter up soon. It started snowing again tonight, and it’s relighting the inspiration I got in one of the suggestions from the last chapter, and hope to get it done soon. 
> 
> I got a keyboard for my iPad recently, and it makes things so much faster and easier to type! So now it’s just the initial writing that takes so much time. Thank you so much for your patience in me!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for your support! Follow me on my [Tumblr](https://downbyashes.tumblr.com) or my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/downbyashes), where I’m trying to be more active!
> 
> And please check out my other works!  
> [I’ve Searched my Whole Life (For You)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16515500)  
> [Take a Gamble on Me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16218170/chapters/37908050)  
> [Please Hold On, Just Don’t Let Go](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19444183)


End file.
